Malaysia seeks gag order on jailed PM Najib Razak’s house arrest bid

The gag order application, which was expected to be filed on January 20, also sought to prohibit the Malaysian parliament from discussing Najib’s attempt to serve the rest of his prison sentence at his own residence.

Last week, the former prime minister, who has been in jail since 2022 for crimes related to the 1MDB state investment fund, won a legal challenge that would allow his case for house arrest to be heard in Malaysia’s High Court.

Najib’s fate was a political headache for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, torn between appeasing key ally United Malays National Organisation (Umno) – which has long championed for its former leader Najib’s freedom – and upholding his credentials as a reformist and anti-graft crusader among his core supporters.