UMNO pays Najib's 50 million ringgit fine, clearing house arrest

Malaysia's UMNO said on Friday it had completed payment of the 50 million ringgit fine imposed on jailed former prime minister Najib Razak, the condition set by a royal pardon for him to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest.

Why it matters: Paying the fine removes the last stated condition between Najib, in prison since 2022 over the 1MDB scandal, and home detention until August 2028, in a case that remains central to Malaysian politics.

Data as of Reuters report of November 6, 2026, read in full in this run through its Devdiscourse syndication; the same payment was reported the same morning by Bloomberg and Arab News in items in this site's feed queue. The transfer date to house arrest was not stated. Developing item.

UMNO, the party Najib Razak once led, said it had completed all payment processes to the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Friday morning for the 50 million ringgit fine, about $12.32 million, raising the money through a fundraising campaign. The payment was a condition of the pardon Malaysia’s king granted in September, the second royal pardon in Najib’s case, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.

Najib, prime minister from 2009 to 2018, was found guilty of corruption linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad, the state fund he co-founded, and has been in prison since 2022; he denies wrongdoing. Reuters said it was not immediately clear when the transfer to his home would take place, and an aide did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

UMNO pays Najib's 50 million ringgit fine, clearing house arrest

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