2 yıl önce

Malaysian court finds ex-PM Najib's wife guilty of corruption

Rosmah Mansor's conviction comes just over a week after her husband Najib Razak began serving a 12-year jail term.

Reuters

Rosmah’s trial had shed light on her alleged sway in the government since her husband took office in 2009.

Malaysia’s former first lady Rosmah Mansor has been convicted of soliciting and receiving bribes during her husband’s administration, a week after her husband was imprisoned over the 1MDB fund scandal.

Rosmah was found guilty on three charges of soliciting bribes and receiving 6.5 million ringgit ($1.5 million) between 2016 and 2017 to help a company secure a project to provide solar energy panels to schools on Borneo island. She is expected to remain out on bail for her appeal to higher courts.

High Court Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said prosecutors proved beyond reasonable doubt that Rosmah corruptly solicited bribes and received money as a reward for herself. He said her defence was a bare denial.

Najib began a 12-year prison term last week after losing his final appeal in one of the five graft cases against him involving the multibillion-dollar pilfering of 1MDB.

Multiple charges

Rosmah’s trial had shed light on her alleged sway in the government since her husband took office in 2009.

The couple has been hit with multiple counts of graft charges after the shocking ouster of Najib’s United Malays National Organization in 2018 elections, fueled by public anger over the 1MDB scandal.

UMNO has since returned to power after defections caused the collapse of the reformist government that won the2018 polls.

After Najib lost power, police raiding family residences seized hundreds of boxes of luxurious Hermes Birkin handbags, 423 watches, 14 tiaras and other jewellery plus cash estimated at more than 1.1 billion ringgit ($246 million).

Separate trial

Separately, Rosmah has also been charged with laundering illegal proceeds and tax evasion linked to 1MDB in another trial that hasn’t started.

1MDB was a development fund that Najib set up after taking office.

Investigators allege more than $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najib’s associates through layers of bank accounts in the US and other countries to finance Hollywood films and extravagant purchases that included hotels, a luxury yacht, artworks and jewellery.

SOURCE: AP