Former Malaysian leader Najib Razak returns home under royal pardon, but faces a separate 15-year prison sentence

Najib Razak has left prison under a royal pardon, prompting a minister to resign in protest. Malaysia's former leader still faces a separate 15-year sentence over the corruption scandal that brought him down.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak arrived home Tuesday to serve the remainder of his corruption sentence under house arrest after four years in prison over the 1MDB scandal that saw $4.5 billion siphoned out of the state investment fund. Najib, 73, reached his Kuala Lumpur residence in a convoy escorted by police and prison vehicles, with supporters waiting outside.

"It's a final relief," his lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told reporters, adding that house arrest was "still an imprisonment because he can't leave the house unless he gets special permission or for a special reason." Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar granted Najib a conditional pardon in September, allowing him to complete his reduced six-year sentence at home once a court-imposed fine was paid.