Najib plays pity card in Slim, repeats SRC monies were for orphans

SLIM POLLS | Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak played the pity card in the Slim by-election campaign today, urging voters to translate their sympathy for him into votes for BN candidate Mohd Zaidi Aziz.

Najib also repeated his contention that SRC International funds were used for Umno and for orphans.

The prosecution contends that a significant portion of the funds was used for personal gain, such as for paying off luxury purchases made with his credit cards.

"Ninety-nine percent of (SRC funds) I spent on welfare and political charity work. This was proven in court.

"I spent 99 percent of the funds on Umno, BN, orphanages and tahfiz schools. And I still got fined. That's not right.

"For the truth, I was willing to swear in court that I did not ask for those funds, and I was not offered those funds.

"So ladies and gentlemen, think for yourselves. If you sympathise with me, show it in this by-election that BN is in the right, and that we want to set this country right," Najib said during a ceramah at Felda Gunung Besout 1 this afternoon.

Last month Najib was found guilty of seven charges of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust (CBT) and money laundering related to the RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd case.

He was sentenced to a 12-year concurrent jail term and fined RM210 million. The sentence has been stayed pending an appeal.

During the trial, a witness testified that Najib had given RM400,000 for the maintenance and operation of Rumah Penyayang Tun Abdul Razak orphanage in 2015.

The former prime minister also told the court that RM543,530 charged to his credit card and later paid off using funds from SRC International was spent at luxury boutiques in the US.

He also testified to spending RM127,017.46 on a luxury hotel stay as part of his “personal holiday” in Bangkok, Thailand in 2015.

He also defended RM3.36 million charged to his credit card in 2014, saying that it was used to purchase “gifts” for the royalty of another country.

The prosecution contends that SRC funds were used to pay off the credit cards' bills. - Mkini