Former Malaysian PM Najib Razak’s jail term halved to 6 years in royal pardon

Former Malaysia PM Najib Razak

KUALA LUMPUR – A Malaysian pardons board today said it has decided to halve the jail sentence of former prime minister Najib Razak, who was convicted of graft and money laundering related to the multibillion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.

Najib, who is serving a 12-year jail term, had his sentence reduced to six years and will be released in August 2028. The fines imposed on him will also be reduced to RM50 million (S$14.2 million) from RM210 million, the board’s secretariat said in a statement on Feb 2.

The board, chaired by Malaysia’s king, did not give a reason for halving Najib’s sentence in its statement.

Najib was jailed for graft linked to state fund 1MDB, from which US and Malaysian investigators estimate US$4.5 billion (S$6 billion) was stolen and more than US$1 billion channelled to accounts linked to the…