Najib loses bid for house arrest as Malaysia court rejects disgraced ex-PM’s request

Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that the government had no legal obligation to respond to Najib’s application, dismissing supporting affidavits filed by two leaders of his Umno party as “hearsay”, his lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said.

Najib can still take his appeal to a higher court after Wednesday’s ruling.

“The decision today was very disappointing,” Shafee told reporters at a news conference after the hearing. “I completely do not agree with the decision as it was wrong, but it was the decision of the court.”

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The legacy of Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal on politics and corruption-fighting

Najib’s defence team said they will appeal the decision, and may consider filing a separate writ to compel the government to respond.

“With Najib remaining in prison, PH leaders can breathe a sigh of relief at least for the time being,” political analyst Adib Zalkapli said, referring to Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan coalition.

But experts say the damage has already been inflicted on Anwar and his administration. The government has been walking a tightrope, trying to appease the public while also quelling internal discord – regardless of the court’s eventual ruling.

“Anwar is only as secure as the support he gets, not just politically, but from institutions such as the [national palace] and from within the civil service,” said Aziff Azuddin, a research associate with Kuala Lumpur-based think tank Iman Research.

Najib still faces at least three more trials linked to 1MDB, from which at least US$4.5 billion is thought to have been looted, according to Malaysian investigators and the US Department of Justice.

American prosecutors described the scandal at 1MDB, the state fund founded in 2009 just months after Najib became prime minister, as the largest