PERIKATAN Nasional will not call for fresh elections despite Najib Razak’s conviction yesterday, said sources.

This was decided at a 30-minute meeting between Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Barisan Nasional lawmakers at Parliament this afternoon.

Sources said the prime minister was asked if he would disolve Parliament as Najib’s conviction had caused unease among Umno grassroots.

Furthermore if he fails in his appeals, it would leave PN with only 112 lawmakers in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat.

“The prime minister then asked us if we wanted to continue or dissolve parliament.

“Everyone at the meeting decided that we should go on,” a source who attended the meeting told The Malaysian Insight.

The meeting also decided that Najib will be able to attend the Parliament sitting as he is appealing against his conviction and sentence.

Former prime minister and finance minister Najib was yesterday convicted of seven charges in relation to SRC International.

He was found guilty of three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money-laundering and one count of abuse of power.

He was sentenced to 12 years’ jail and fined RM210 million for abusing his power in receiving RM42 million in funds from SRC International in 2014 and 2015.

Najib was also sentenced to 10 years’ jail each for three CBT and three money-laundering charges. No fines were imposed for those offences.

Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali stayed the execution of the jail sentence and fine, pending an appeal by the defence at the Court of Appeal. – July 29, 2020.