Najib apologises to supporters, expresses gratitude for support

PUTRAJAYA: "I'm sorry."

Those are the words uttered by former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak when he met with his supporters near the Palace of Justice's rear entrance before the Federal Court's five-panel bench made its ruling on his final appeal against his conviction and 12 years' jail sentence and RM210 million fine for misappropriating RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds, today.

"Thank you all for being here and I really appreciate the undivided support you all have given me.

"I'm sorry. I have done everything I could but every application I made was dismissed by the court," he said, adding that he also felt mistreated and believed that a fair trial had not been accorded to him.

Also present were his two children, Nooryana Najwa and Norashman.

The Federal Court today upheld Najib's conviction and his 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine for misappropriating RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.

The five-member bench led by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat dismissed the former prime minister's appeal to set aside the conviction and sentence imposed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on July 28, 2020.

The then High Court Judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, who is now a Court of Appeal judge, sentenced Najib to 10 years' jail on each of the three counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT) and each of the three counts of money laundering, and 12 years' jail and a RM210 million fine, in default five years' jail, in the case of abuse of position.

Najib, 69, had on Dec 8, 2021, failed to overturn the ruling after the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court's decision.

-- BERNAMA