Malaysia's palace and king say house arrest order for jailed ex-leader Najib must be respected

Summary

Malaysia's national palace says a royal decision allowing former Prime Minister Najib Razak to serve his prison sentence under house arrest is clear and must be respected. On Saturday, the king warned that any attempt to challenge his order letting Najib move from jail to house arrest could amount to defying his decree. The warning came a day after authorities delayed Najib's transfer, which Al Jazeera reports the attorney general postponed after a court cleared him for house arrest on Friday. Najib has been in jail since 2022, when he was found guilty of corruption and money laundering in a case linked to a multibillion-dollar scandal at the state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad. He has consistently denied wrongdoing.

Timeline

1. ABC News

   7 Nov 2026, 06:00 UTCSource ↗

   ABC News reports that Malaysia's national palace says the royal decision allowing former Prime Minister Najib Razak to serve his prison sentence under house arrest is clear and must be respected.

2. South China Morning Post

   7 Nov 2026, 07:32 UTCSource ↗

   The South China Morning Post reports that Malaysia's king warned on Saturday that challenging his order letting former prime minister Najib Razak move from jail to house arrest could amount to defying his decree, a day after authorities delayed Najib's transfer.

3. Al Jazeera

   7 Nov 2026, 19:24 UTCSource ↗

   Al Jazeera reports that the attorney general postponed Najib Razak's transfer from jail after a court cleared him for house arrest on Friday, and that the king warned against defying the house arrest order.