Dispute over Najib Razak's house arrest pits Malaysia's palace against prosecutors

Summary

A growing dispute over former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak's house arrest has put the attorney general's powers under scrutiny and raised the possibility of a constitutional clash, though legal experts say it falls short of a full-blown crisis. Najib, 73, was due to move from Kajang Prison to his Kuala Lumpur home on Friday, after his party, Umno, paid a 50 million ringgit (US$12.3 million) fine. That payment fulfilled a condition of a royal pardon issued in September that allows him to serve his sentence under house arrest. Al Jazeera reports that Malaysia's king and government are in a standoff after the attorney general disputed an order allowing the former prime minister to leave jail.

Timeline

1. South China Morning Post

   9 Nov 2026, 09:00 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that a growing dispute over Najib Razak's house arrest has thrust the attorney general's powers into the spotlight, raising the spectre of a constitutional clash, though legal experts say it falls short of a full-blown crisis.

2. Al Jazeera

   9 Nov 2026, 21:13 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Malaysia's king and government are in a standoff after the attorney general disputed an order allowing former prime minister Najib Razak to leave jail.