UMNO pays Najib Razak's RM50 million fine, enabling house-arrest sentence
UMNO says it has settled the RM50 million fine imposed on former prime minister Najib Razak, allowing him to serve the remainder of his term under house arrest following a conditional royal pardon.
Kuala Lumpur – The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) announced on Friday that it has paid the RM50 million (US$12.3 million) fine imposed on former prime minister Najib Razak, clearing the way for him to serve the balance of his six-year prison term under house arrest after a conditional pardon granted by Malaysia’s king.
"The total funds raised through the Najib Razak Solidarity Fund launched on Sep 18 ... have reached the target amount and are sufficient," party secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said in a statement. "UMNO completed all payment procedures with the Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning. UMNO hereby officially closes the special Najib Razak Solidarity Fund account, which was established to receive public contributions. There is no longer a need for public crowdfunding for this purpose."
The announcement follows media reports that Najib could be transferred from Kajang prison to his Langgak Duta residence in Kuala Lumpur, which authorities inspected in September. Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, said she had not been informed of any developments, and his lawyer Shafee Abdullah said he had not received instructions on whether his client would pay the fine.
Najib received a conditional pardon from Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar on 18 September, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence at home provided the fine is paid. The pardon was issued after a meeting of the Federal Territories Pardons Board.
The fine stems from Najib’s 2020 conviction on charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power related to the transfer of RM42 million from the former 1MDB subsidiary SRC International to his personal accounts. A partial royal pardon in January 2024 reduced his jail term and the fine to RM50 million.
UMNO launched the Najib Razak Solidarity Fund to raise the money, collecting more than RM1 million on the first day and later reaching the target amount, according to party officials.