Malaysia’s jailed ex-PM Najib pays $12M fine to serve prison time at home

Malaysia’s jailed former prime minister Najib Razak has paid a 50 million ringgit ($12 million) fine, meeting a condition of a royal pardon allowing him to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest, his party said on Friday.

The 73-year-old was jailed over his role in the scandal involving the now-defunct sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

"UMNO has completed all payment processes to the Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning," the United Malays National Organisation said in a statement, referring to the $12 million fine.

The party also announced the closure of its Najib Razak Solidarity Fund, which had collected public contributions towards the fine.

“There is no longer a need for public crowdfunding for this purpose,” it said.

Najib's aide, Ahmad Lutfi Azhar, also confirmed the payment had been made and told reporters they were now waiting for transfer papers to be issued.

Preparations for transfer

Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim granted Najib a conditional pardon in September, allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest provided he paid the fine.

The road leading to Najib's residence was cordoned off as of noon, with yellow police tape and traffic cones blocking access to the area, an AFP journalist saw.

Police stationed patrol cars and vans nearby and set up two tents near the entrance to the road in preparation for crowd control.

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Source: TRT