PUTRAJAYA, Dec 26 ― Datuk Seri Najib Razak has called on Malaysians to remain calm after he was convicted and sentenced to jail by the High Court today after being found guilty of abuse of power and money laundering involving nearly RM2.2 billion in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case.

Najib, in a statement read out by his lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said he would continue to fight for his rights through available legitimate channels.

egardless of today’s court outcome, I remain confident towards the nation’s judiciary.

“I therefore call upon all Malaysians to assess this matter calmly and rationally, not merely from the perspective of my fate as an individual, but for the sake of the future of the nation’s institutions and the principles that we uphold together,” he said.

Najib also said any differences in opinion has to be expressed maturely, orderly and in accordance with the law.

He then urged Malaysians not to be swayed or involved in any form of provocation that could disrupt public order or undermine the integrity of the judiciary.

In the statement, Najib also shared that he sometimes feels he must shoulder the burden of his struggles alone — not out of revenge, but based on principle.

“My intentions has never changed in that I want to contribute to the nation’s prosperity and the people’s harmony,” he said.

Earlier, Najib was sentenced to 15 years in jail and a RM11.38 billion fine by the High Court.

The court also ordered the jail sentences to run concurrently, with an additional 10 years’ imprisonment to be imposed if he fails to pay the fine for the four abuse of power charges he has been convicted.

He is currently serving a jail sentence in a separate case involving the misappropriation of RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd.

Najib is now about halfway through his six-year jail term, which will end in August 2028 or August 2029, depending on whether he pays the RM50 million fine imposed in the SRC case. - malaymail