Malaysia ex-PM Najib arrives home to start house arrest

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s former premier Najib Razak arrived at his home to start his house arrest on Tuesday, a Reuters journalist said, ending a four-year stint in prison over his role in a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB.

Najib reached his Kuala Lumpur residence on Tuesday night in a vehicle escorted by police, with a heavy security presence and chaotic scenes as scores of journalists clambered to catch sight of him.

Najib, prime minister from 2009 to 2018, was found guilty of corruption in relation to the embezzlement of billions of dollars tied to 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a state investment fund he co-founded while in power. He has consistently denied wrongdoing.

Najib had been expected to leave prison last Friday after a fine was paid as a condition of his royal pardon, but the attorney general abruptly halted the transfer, outraging his political allies and prompting a warning from King Sultan Ibrahim against defying his decree.

Malaysia ex-PM Najib Razak set for house arrest after party pays fine to leave jail

The court on Tuesday ruled that an order issued last week be set aside and replaced with a new order that allows Najib’s house arrest to start immediately, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.

One of Malaysia’s most influential and divisive politicians, Najib insists he was made the scapegoat for the ⁠complex, globe-spanning scheme that siphoned away as much as $4.5 billion, according to US investigators.

More than $1 billion allegedly ended up in accounts linked to Najib, 1MDB’s co-founder, prosecutors have said.