Malaysia king permits ex — PM Najib Razak to serve term under house arrest

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 (Reuters) — The Malaysian pardons board chaired by the king agreed on Friday to allow jailed former premier Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, four years after a conviction related to a multi-billion-dollar financial scandal, the prime minister's legal department said. Najib, 73, who was prime minister from 2009 to 2018, was found guilty of corruption in relation to the embezzlement of billions of dollars tied to 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a state investment fund he co-founded while in power. The house arrest will be imposed until August 23, 2028, the department said in a statement. (Reporting by Ashley Tang; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by David Stanway) ((martin.petty@tr.com)