Najib barred from politics under house arrest; family allowed to stay with him

Najib Razak had submitted a written request for a second residence to be included in his house arrest arrangements, but this was not approved. 

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12 Nov 2026 02:44PM

SINGAPORE: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is barred from participating in political activities, making media statements or appearing on social media while serving the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told parliament on Thursday (Nov 12).

The restrictions are among the conditions attached to Najib’s house arrest following a conditional royal pardon granted by Malaysia's king Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar in September, subject to payment of a court-ordered fine.

The conditions also restrict where Najib can live, who can visit him, when he can leave his home and which phones and telecommunications devices he can use.

Any breach of the conditions will result in Najib being immediately returned to prison, said Saifuddin in response to questions in parliament.

Najib, 73, began serving his sentence at his residence at No 11, Jalan Langgak Duta on Tuesday, after several days of legal uncertainty over the implementation of his house arrest.

The former prime minister had left Kajang Prison last Friday after his RM50 million (US$12.3 million) fine was paid, but was brought back hours later after the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) called for his house arrest to be temporarily suspended pending legal clarification.

A day later, Sultan Ibrahim said the conditional pardon was “clear, explicit and without any ambiguity” and warned that any attempt to dispute the order would amount to defying the monarch's decree.

On Tuesday, the High Court cancelled an earlier discharge order and issued a new conditional release order, after which Najib was taken to his Kuala Lumpur residence to begin house arrest.

The conditional pardon granted by Sultan Ibrahim allows Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence at home until his scheduled release on Aug 23, 2028.

REQUEST FOR TWO HOUSE ARREST LOCATIONS  REJECTED

The Pardons Board set out four categories of restrictions covering Najib's residence and personal associations, movement and visitors, the use of telephones and telecommunications devices, and participation in rehabilitation and intervention programmes.

Najib is required to serve his house arrest at No 11 Jalan Langgak Duta and cannot move to another house, building or premises. He is not allowed to leave the residence without written approval, although Saifuddin said prison officers would take him to Friday prayers.

Only his family members - including his wife, children, sons- and daughters-in-law and grandchildren - are permitted to live with him. Anyone else must obtain written permission before staying at the property.

Najib had submitted a written request for a second residence to be included in his house arrest arrangements, but Saifuddin said it could not be approved because the Pardons Board had specified only the Jalan Langgak Duta property.

Najib is also barred from using phones and other telecommunications devices other than those registered with the Prisons Department for the purpose of verifying his presence at home and enabling prison authorities to contact him.

He must not deliberately appear in media coverage or on social media platforms, and is prohibited from making statements or comments to the media.

Najib is also barred from attending social gatherings or taking part in political activities, and must participate in the rehabilitation programmes required under his house arrest conditions.

Saifuddin said the restrictions came from the Pardons Board's conditional pardon, supplemented by supervision and operational requirements imposed by the Prisons Department.

The department is responsible for implementing the conditions and ensuring compliance, while its commissioner-general has the authority to establish additional procedures for monitoring and supervision.

NINE PRISON OFFICERS, POLICE MONITORING

On enforcement, Saifuddin said three prison officers would be assigned to each shift at the residence, with three shifts operating daily.

Police officers are also monitoring the property through fixed deployments and other surveillance arrangements.

He said the deployment of prison personnel would not incur additional costs because the officers had been reassigned from Kajang Prison.

Asked what would happen if Najib violated the terms of his house arrest, Saifuddin said the conditions were explicit.

If Najib breaches them, his house arrest will be revoked and he will be immediately returned to Kajang Prison or any prison determined by the commissioner-general, he said.

Saifuddin added that the Home Ministry had formulated the conditions with an eye towards possible future house-arrest cases, rather than solely for Najib.

The minister also confirmed that Najib's pension payments had been stopped, although he continued to receive other benefits available to a former prime minister under the relevant constitutional provisions, government circulars and legislation.

Najib had been in Kajang Prison since August 2022 following his conviction for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving funds from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB, in his first graft trial linked to the state investment fund.

Najib was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million. The Pardons Board in 2024 halved his jail term to six years and reduced the fine to RM50 million before the subsequent conditional pardon allowed him to serve the remaining period under house arrest.

The house arrest arrangement applies only to Najib’s SRC International sentence and does not cover a separate 15-year prison sentence imposed in the 1MDB corruption case. Najib is appealing that sentence.