Malaysia's Najib Razak seeks to delay 15-year jail term and RM11.38 billion 1MDB fine until appeals end

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Malaysia's High Court has fixed 14 October 2026 to hear former prime minister Najib Razak’s application to suspend the execution of his 15-year prison sentence and RM11.38 billion (about US$2.79 billion) fine in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case.

Najib is seeking the stay until all avenues of appeal in the criminal case have been exhausted.

The application will be heard by Judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin.

Najib appeared at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on 25 September after being brought from Kajang Prison.

He arrived at about 8.30am wearing a light grey suit and white shirt, accompanied by prison department personnel, according to Malaysian media.

The hearing date was fixed during case management after Najib’s lawyers filed a certificate of urgency.

The prosecution has indicated that it will file an affidavit responding to the application.

The 1MDB sentence

The 15-year sentence was imposed by then High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah on 26 December 2025, following Najib’s conviction on four charges of abuse of power and 21 charges of money laundering involving funds linked to 1MDB.

For the four abuse-of-power charges, Najib received 15 years’ imprisonment on each charge, with the sentences running concurrently. He was also ordered to pay RM11.38 billion.

The court ordered an additional 10 years in prison for each of the four abuse-of-power charges if the corresponding fine was not paid. Najib was also ordered to pay about RM2.08 billion as a recoverable sum linked to the money-laundering charges.

The 15-year sentence is scheduled to begin after Najib completes his sentence in the separate SRC International case. His lawyers filed an appeal against the 1MDB decision on 29 December 2025.

The SRC International case

Najib has been imprisoned at Kajang Prison since 23 August 2022 after the Federal Court upheld his conviction in the SRC International case.

That case concerned RM42 million transferred from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB, into Najib’s personal bank accounts in 2014 and 2015. His original 12-year prison sentence and RM210 million fine were later reduced following a royal pardon in January 2024.

The sentence was cut to six years and the fine reduced to RM50 million. His scheduled release date under the reduced sentence is 23 August 2028.

On 18 September 2026, Malaysia’s King, Sultan Ibrahim, granted Najib a conditional pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of that sentence under house arrest until August 2028, subject to payment of the RM50 million fine and compliance with other conditions.

Najib’s earlier house-arrest challenge

The latest house-arrest decision followed an earlier legal dispute over an alleged additional royal order that Najib said permitted him to serve his sentence at home.

In December 2025, the High Court rejected his judicial review application concerning the alleged order, finding that it had not been considered or decided upon at the relevant Pardons Board meeting.

Najib later withdrew his appeal against that ruling in April 2026. Court records reported by Malaysian media did not give a reason for the withdrawal.

Political reaction

The September house-arrest decision prompted disagreement within Malaysia’s governing coalition.

Democratic Action Party secretary-general Anthony Loke offered to resign as Transport Minister in protest, while saying DAP would remain in government and support Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim until the next general election.

Anwar said Najib had the right to seek a pardon and said the constitutional power to grant pardons rests with the King and the Pardons Board. He also said ongoing cases involving Najib should continue according to law.

Separately, fourteen Malaysian civil society organisations are demanding the immediate release of documents behind Najib Razak’s latest pardon, including the Attorney-General’s submission and Pardons Board meeting minutes.