KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak's lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah has insisted that the source of RM42mil that entered into his client's bank account was actually a donation from Saudi royals.

Muhammad Shafee said the agreement was made during a meeting with the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, which was attended by two Malaysian Federal ministers and an ambassador.

"It is not because he loves Najib, but he really liked how Najib had taken care of Malaysia," said Shafee during Umno's special briefing at World Trade Centre here on Saturday (Aug 27).

Shafee said that at that time, the 'Arab Spring' phenomenon was taking place in several parts of the world.

"Malaysia is seen as one of the countries that does not enforce extreme Islamic values so they (Saudi) wanted to give assistance personally so that Najib could return as the prime minister again during the next elections," he said.

On July 28, 2020, Najib was convicted on all charges and sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment and a fine of RM210mil.

Meanwhile, Shafee said that Najib had engaged new lawyers to represent him at Federal Court not because he wanted to delay the proceedings but wanted to get a different perspective to the case.

"Najib wanted a team that can give a second opinion on how to approach the case at the Federal Court," he explained to Umno members who came for the special briefing on Saturday.

Shafee said as the new legal team needed some time to go through the documents, they had asked for some time but this was rejected.

"They had to go through 220 volumes of documents, with each one about three and a half inches thick.

"It is only right that they ask for some time to go through it," he said.

Najib is currently serving the 12 years's jail sentence for misappropriating RM42mil of SRC International Sdn Bhd fund.