Malaysia’s High Court sentenced the wife of ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak to 10 years in prison and levied a fine of 970 million ringgit ($216 million) after finding her guilty on three counts of graft, days after he was jailed for corruption in the 1MDB scandal.
(Bloomberg) — Malaysia’s High Court sentenced the wife of ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak to 10 years in prison and levied a fine of 970 million ringgit ($216 million) after finding her guilty on three counts of graft, days after he was jailed for corruption in the 1MDB scandal.
Rosmah Mansor was convicted Thursday for soliciting 187.5 million ringgit in bribes from the managing director of privately-held firm Jepak Holdings Sdn. She was permitted to appeal to higher courts and will remain free pending their rulings.
“The prosecution has succeeded in proving the case beyond any reasonable doubt,” Judge Mohamed Zaini said as Rosmah sat in the dock, AFP and local media reported. “The accused is found guilty of all three charges.”
Rosmah’s trial began in 2018 as part of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s efforts to root out corruption that took place during Najib’s administration. Najib began his 12-year prison term last week after the nation’s highest court upheld his 2020 conviction for corruption in relation to 1MDB, a troubled state fund from which billions were siphoned.
“I hope your honor will consider that I am a woman taking over a man’s role in my house,” Rosmah, 70, told the court, alluding to Najib’s imprisonment. “Never have I solicited any money,” she said, according to Free Malaysia Today.
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The 970-million ringgit fine is the largest in Malaysia’s legal history, Rosmah’s lawyer Jagjit Singh told reporters, adding the appeal process would take at least six months.
The judge delivered the verdict shortly after dismissing Rosmah’s application to recuse him from hearing the case. She had cited a loss of faith in Judge Zaini’s ability to hear her case after an alleged guilty judgment was leaked online, local media reported Wednesday.
Apart from soliciting bribes, Mansor was also convicted of receiving 6.5 million ringgit from a director at Jepak Holdings between 2016 and 2017 in return for helping the company secure a solar power project for rural schools in the state of Sarawak.
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