Malaysia finds ex-PM Najib’s wife guilty in corruption case

The Straits Times

Published: September 1, 2022, 12:40 PM

Malaysia finds ex-PM Najib’s wife guilty in corruption case

Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, was convicted of corruption on Thursday, just over a week after her husband was jailed after Malaysia‍‍`s highest court affirmed his corruption conviction.

 

Rosmah, 70, was found guilty by Malaysia‍‍`s High Court of soliciting a total of RM 194 million (S$61 million) in bribes to help solar energy firm Jepak Holdings secure a RM 1.25 billion solar hybrid project for hundreds of schools in Sarawak in 2016.

 

Earlier on Thursday, she failed to get Justice Zaini recused from the case, arguing that a judgement on it was allegedly leaked and posted online last week.

 

Rosmah also faces 17 money laundering and tax evasion charges amounting to RM 7.1 million in a separate ongoing trial.

 

Her conviction comes just over a week after Najib lost his final appeal against a 2020 graft conviction at the Federal Court. He started serving a 12-year jail term at the Kajang Prison in Selangor last Tuesday.

 

Najib was Malaysia‍‍`s prime minister from 2009 to 2018. Critics have accused both him and Rosmah of leading a lavish lifestyle while he was in power.

 

Najib was convicted of misappropriating RM 42 million from SRC International - a former subsidiary of the scandal-tainted state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad - which he co-founded. He has four other ongoing trials relating to billions of 1MDB monies.

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