KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak has publicly apologised to the Malaysian people over the 1MDB debacle.

In a statement read by his son Datuk Mohd Nizar at the Kuala Lumpur court complex on Thursday (Oct 24), Najib expressed deep sorrow over the 1MDB corruption incident that occurred during his tenure as prime minister and finance minister.

He said he decided to make the statement after much reflection over 26 months in jail following developments over 1MDB-related issues.

“It pains me to know the 1MDB debacle happened under my watch as the minister of finance and prime minister.

“For that, I would like to apologise unreservedly to the Malaysian people,” he said.

He also said he was in deep shock knowing the extent of the “wretched and unconscionable shenanigans” that happened in 1MDB.

“I have already been punished politically but as I am clearly not the mastermind and neither did I collaborate with Jho Low as recent events have shown, I should not be victimised legally,” he said.