Authorities in Malaysia have halved the sentence of Najib Razak, a former prime minister convicted of stealing millions of dollars from a government fund, a move that has triggered outrage in the country.
The leniency for Najib comes after weeks of speculation in Malaysia that he might be pardoned by King Sultan Abdullah, whose tenure under Malaysia’s unique rotational monarchy ended Tuesday. But many analysts had said it was unlikely that Najib, who has served only 17 months of his term, would receive any form of clemency because he is still facing three continuing criminal cases related to what is known as the 1MDB scandal.
On Friday, Malaysia’s Pardons Board said that Najib, who began a 12-year sentence in 2022, will instead be released in August 2028 and his fine reduced to $11 million, one-quarter of the previous fine. But according to Malaysian law, he could be released even earlier, in August 2026, if he applies for parole after serving half of his term.
The announcement spurred a wave of anger over what many Malaysians said was a culture of impunity among the country’s top officials. Much of the money that disappeared from the 1MDB fund has yet to be recovered. In September, a court suddenly dismissed 47 embezzlement charges filed against Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the deputy prime minister.
The decision is likely to reignite questions about the rule of law in Malaysia. It is also likely to increase the public’s disillusionment with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who entered office on an anti-corruption platform but who critics say has made too many compromises, like the alliance with Ahmad, to stay in power.
The first allegations against Najib appeared in news reports nearly a decade ago. Malaysians — although long accustomed to graft by high-ranking officials and politicians — were shocked to learn that the premier had funneled $700 million from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad fund, or 1MDB, a government investment fund, to his personal bank accounts.
Infuriated citizens took to the streets to demand Najib’s resignation. The scandal also upended politics in the 2018 election when voters cast Najib out of office — the first time in Malaysia’s independent history that his political party, the United Malays National Organization, or UMNO, had lost in national elections.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times © 2025 The New York Times Company
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