Due to the misappropriation of Malaysia’s state-owned wealth fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Najib was imprisoned in 2022.
The board also lowered the 210 million ringgit penalties that was levied against him to 50 million ringgit (£8.3 million; $10.5 million).
To ensure his release in August 2028, Najib needs to pay this in full.
His sentence will be extended by one more year, until 2029, if he is unable to make the payment.
After arguing his conviction in court for two years, he was found guilty in 2020.
Major repercussions were felt throughout South East Asia at the time of the imprisonment of such a prominent person in Asian affairs. In an area where power is so frequently unaccountable, it was praised as a unique instance of accountability.
The issue that has Malaysia’s attention is 1MDB: The verdict that sent an untouchable former prime minister to jail
On Tuesday, however, it was reported that the pardons board of Malaysia had convened to discuss Najib’s request for release on the final day of the King’s reign. Malaysia is ruled by a rotating monarchy; on Wednesday, King Abdullah Ahmad Shah gave Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar the throne.
According to James Chin, an Asian Studies professor at the University of Tasmania, the phrase was lowered to convey the impression that authorities in South East Asia can behave without consequence.
Prof. Chin told the BBC that “nothing can happen to you if you reach a certain level in your career.”
He said that the pardons board’s decision was leaked, seemingly in an effort to control potential public outcry.
