Malaysia’s former first lady, who allegedly bankrolled a luxurious lifestyle with kickbacks and stolen public money, yesterday went on trial for corruption for the first time since her husband lost power.
Rosmah Mansor, notorious for making overseas shopping trips and owning vast collections of handbags and jewelry, became a lightning rod for public anger as the government of then-Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was engulfed by corruption allegations.
Her husband’s long-ruling coalition suffered a shock election defeat in 2018 in large part due to claims that he and his officials had plundered billions of dollars from sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
Photo: Reuters
Both Najib and his wife have since been hit with multiple charges over the looting of 1MDB, but Rosmah’s first trial centers on allegations she received bribes linked to a government project.
Prosecutors allege she pocketed 6.5 million ringgit (US$1.57 million at the current exchange rate) for helping a company secure the project to provide solar power generators to schools on the Malaysian part of Borneo island.
Rosmah is also accused of soliciting a further 187.5 million ringgit.
She faces three counts of corruption for the offenses, which allegedly took place in 2016 and 2017.
The 68-year-old, known for her imperious manner and mane of hair, denied all the charges as proceedings began at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
Rosmah “occupied no official position, but she wielded considerable influence by her own overbearing nature” prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram said in his opening statement. “She placed herself in a position where she was able to influence decisions in the public sector.”
The trial was supposed to start on Monday, but was delayed after Rosmah was admitted to a hospital complaining of neck pain.
Yesterday, she arrived in a car followed by an ambulance, and limped into the courtroom.
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