Malaysian Bar Challenges Legality of Najib Razak House Arrest

The Malaysian Bar has filed a judicial review application in the High Court to challenge the legality of former Prime Minister Najib Razak's house arrest. The legal body argues that the decision by the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories is unconstitutional and unlawful, asserting that house arrest is not provided for under Malaysian criminal law and was specifically tailored for Najib.

Najib Razak began serving the remainder of his SRC International case sentence under house arrest on November 10, 2026. This followed a conditional pardon granted by Sultan Ibrahim in September 2026 and the payment of a RM50 million fine. The Bar contends that Najib's crimes had colossal adverse consequences for the nation and that his pardon application lacked remorse.

The government, represented by the Attorney-General’s Chambers, intends to object to the application. Government lawyers argue that the decision to grant the conditional pardon is non-justiciable. High Court Judge Justice S. Indra Nehru has scheduled the hearing for objections from the government and Najib for March 17, 2027.