Malaysia's king warns that challenging Najib's house-arrest order would defy his decree

As of 9:40 p.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026

Malaysia's king has warned that any attempt to challenge his order allowing jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak to serve the rest of his prison sentence under house arrest would amount to defying a royal decree, after the country's attorney general paused the move.

"Given that all the conditions in the conditional pardon order have been fulfilled, any attempt to challenge the order would amount to disobeying the decree of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong," the national palace, Istana Negara, said Saturday, Nov. 7, according to Malay Mail's translation of the Malay-language statement. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the king's formal title; the throne is currently held by Sultan Ibrahim.

"The conditional pardon order is clear, explicit and without any ambiguity, and is unrelated to any other cases against him," the palace said, according to Malay Mail. It said there should be no confusion over the order's interpretation or prolonged uncertainty over its implementation.

Why the transfer stalled

Najib, 73, was due to move from Kajang Prison to house arrest on Friday, Nov. 6, after his party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), paid a 50 million ringgit (about $12 million) fine required by the pardon, according to Malay Mail and The Straits Times. His lawyer, Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee, said the Kuala Lumpur High Court then issued an order allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence at home, Malay Mail reported.

But the Attorney General's Chambers called for the transfer to be temporarily deferred. It said the High Court's discharge order directed Najib's immediate release on payment of the fine while also saying he should serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest until Aug. 23, 2028, which it said raised two possible legal readings needing a court's clarification, Malay Mail reported.

Under one reading, the remaining term of Najib's sentence in the SRC International case stays in force and is served at home under the pardon. Under the other, that sentence has legally ended — which, the chambers said, would raise the question of whether his separate 15-year sentence in the main 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case must begin, since it was ordered to start only after the SRC term.

The chambers said its request "was not intended to challenge or set aside the King's decree," but to ensure the orders were carried out lawfully, according to Malay Mail.

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Attorney General Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar on Sunday, Nov. 8, criticized errors in the High Court document, telling the newspaper Berita Harian: "This should not have happened if the parties concerned had exercised due care. The error is glaring and has caused issues that should never have arisen," Malay Mail reported Monday. He declined to comment on a reported audience with the king; Berita Harian's sources said it could take place as early as Tuesday, Nov. 10, according to Malay Mail.

The Straits Times reported that the dispute is hurting Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's coalition politically. The newspaper said Transport Minister Anthony Loke, secretary-general of the Democratic Action Party, has said he would quit as transport minister if Najib leaves prison for house arrest.

Najib's convictions

Najib has been in prison since August 2022 after his conviction over the misappropriation of 42 million ringgit belonging to SRC International, a former 1MDB subsidiary, Malay Mail reported. A 2024 royal pardon cut his original 12-year sentence to six years and reduced his fine from 210 million ringgit to 50 million ringgit.

He was separately convicted in December 2025 in the main 1MDB corruption case and sentenced to 15 years in prison, a verdict he is appealing, according to Malay Mail. The High Court dismissed his application to stay that sentence on Oct. 14, the outlet reported.

The palace said the power of pardon is a royal prerogative under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution and that its exercise should be respected in line with the position of the constitutional monarchy and the rule of law, Malay Mail reported.