Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak Gets Jail Term & Fine Reduced
UPDATE (2 Feb): Malaysia’s Pardons Board has issued a statement confirming Najib’s shortened sentence, reports The Star.
The 70-year-old’s jail sentence has been halved — he will be released on 28 Aug 2028. His fine has also been reduced from RM210 million (S$59.74 million) to RM50 million (S$14.22 million).
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Former Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) Najib Razak has obtained a partial royal pardon that will see his jail sentence halved to six years.
The 70-year-old was previously sentenced to 12 years’ jail in July 2020 for corruption.
With the royal pardon, Najib is expected to complete his sentence in August 2028.
However, he could be out by August 2026 should he qualify for parole for good behaviour.
Former Malaysia PM Najib Razak gets jail term reduced from 12 to 6 years
Citing senior government officials in Malaysia, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported that Najib’s 12-year jail sentence has been cut down to just six.
This came shortly after a meeting held by the Pardons’ Board — helmed by the King of Malaysia — on Monday (29 Jan).
In addition to the reduced jail sentence, Najib’s RM210 million (S$59.4 million) fine will also be reduced to an unspecified amount.
Source: Reuters
With the partial pardon, Najib is set to complete his sentence in August 2028.
The 70-year-old has already served less than two years of his jail term.
However, should Najib qualify for parole for good behaviour, he could be released in August 2026 — the 2/3 mark of his new jail sentence.
Rumours of Najib’s shortened jail sentence surface after Pardons Board meeting
According to The Star, rumours of Najib’s shortened sentence started making rounds after reports of a Pardons Board meeting on Monday (29 Jan).
Dr Zaliha Mustafa, who serves as a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, was among those in attendance.
When asked about the agenda of the meeting, Dr Zaliha was tight-lipped and urged members of the public to await an official statement from the Board.
The Pardons Board was reportedly one of the last orders of business for Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin before he handed over the role to Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar on Wednesday (31 Jan).
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Featured image adapted from Mohd Rasfan/Agence France-Presse via The New York Times.
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