Malaysia's king has publicly rebuked the country's attorney-general over the delayed transfer of former prime minister Najib Razak from prison to house arrest, in a rare open clash between the palace and the government's top legal office.

King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar said on Saturday that his pardon order allowing Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence at home was "clear, explicit and without any ambiguity", and warned that any attempt to challenge it could amount to defying a royal decree. The palace said all conditions attached to the pardon had been fulfilled.

Najib, 73, has been in Kajang Prison since August 2022, after Malaysia's highest court upheld his conviction for corruption and money laundering linked to the multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). In September, the king granted him clemency allowing him to serve the rest of his reduced six-year sentence under house arrest, once a court-imposed fine of RM50 million (about $12 million) was paid.

The fine was settled on Friday, paid by Najib's party UMNO, and a court order permitting the transfer was issued the same day. Najib briefly left prison on Friday evening, but was returned within hours after the Attorney-General's Chambers suspended the move, saying legal clarification was needed over the pardon and the court order.

The attorney-general's office has denied defying the king, saying the pause was needed to make sure the orders were carried out lawfully and to avoid conflicts between them. It also pointed to a separate 15-year sentence imposed on Najib in December 2025 in a second 1MDB-linked case, which is due to begin after the house arrest period ends.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has now directed the attorney-general to seek an audience with the king immediately to explain the legal questions and apologise.

[Source: srnnews.com](https://srnnews.com/malaysias-king-warns-against-challenging-his-order-allowing-house-arrest-for-ex-pm-najib/) | [Source: scoop.my](https://www.scoop.my/news/302437/anwar-directs-ag-to-seek-kings-audience-to-clarify-najibs-house-arrest/)