KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 ― In one last attempt to convince the High Court before his sentencing, Datuk Seri Najib Razak reiterated again that he had no knowledge of the RM42 million SRC International funds which eventually ended up in his bank accounts.

Earlier today, the former prime minister was convicted and found guilty on all seven charges of misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd by the High Court.

Speaking from the dock, Najib recited the sumpah laknat in a bid to declare his innocence over the misappropriation of SRC International funds and abuse of power of which he was found guilty earlier today.

"I did not demand for the RM42 million, nor was it offered to me. There is no witness to say so. [Recites sumpah laknat] That’s all I’d like to say,” he said.

Sumpah laknat is an oath a Muslim makes to God, asking for divine retribution in the form of a curse against the other party if the latter lies.

Earlier, Najib had also sought to convince the court by highlighting the achievements made during his tenure as prime minister for nine years in which the country prospered with robust economic growth.

"During this period, I oversaw massive infrastructure projects including public transport, public housing that were built on a massive scale.

"I also ensured every single community, farmers, fisherman, civil servants, you could say across the board benefited from programmes that uplifted their incomes,” he said.

Najib also said he was responsible for the abolishment of the Internal Security Act, an effort which he was not credited for.

"I ensured a fairer and gentler society. I was responsible for abolishing the ISA (Internal Security Act), which I was never given enough credit for. I wanted to ensure the country would not (be subjected to) abuse of power.

"In this regard, I put forward a proposal to implement a more transparent system for political donations. That proposal, unfortunately, required bipartisan support, but the Opposition at the time did not agree and the proposal did not see the light of day,” he said.

He also claimed the excellent performances and high dividends of Muslim pilgrimage fund Tabung Haji, sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd and national petroleum company Petronas under his administration as among his other achievements.

Najib had made the attempt to mitigate after both prosecution and defence completed their submission in court.