On three counts of bribery, the wife of Malaysia’s ex-prime minister Najib Razak was given a ten-year prison term.
In a three-count indictment, Rosmah Mansor was found guilty of bribery related to the awarding of a contract worth 1.25 billion ringgit ($279 million) (about £240 million).
According to the Supreme Court ruling, the sentences will be served simultaneously. This comes just days after her husband began serving a 12-year prison term for corruption.
The 70-year-old is well known for her penchant for expensive jewelry and other accessories. In 2018, Malaysian police raided the couple’s properties and discovered 272 Hermes bags, 14 tiaras, and a gold and diamond necklace worth $1.6 million.
After entering a not guilty plea, Rosmah sat quietly in the dock as High Court judge Zaini Mazlan announced his decision on Thursday afternoon. She told the judge through sobs, “I must admit that I’m very sad with what happened today,” Reuters reported.
If that’s the conclusion that needs to be drawn, I’ll leave it up to God because no one saw me take the money or count the money.
Additionally, she has been fined a grand total of 970 million ringgit. She has been granted a stay of execution pending her appeal, but it is unknown when she will begin serving a prison sentence.
The 17 counts of money laundering and tax evasion against Rosmah have not been dropped. For the record, she denies the allegations against her. Authorities say Rosmah accepted 6.5 million ringgit in bribes from an official at the company that ultimately won the solar energy project bid.
She claimed she was set up by her ex-aide and other project officials, but the judge dismissed her defense as “bare denial and unsubstantiated.”
On Wednesday, her legal team made one last-ditch effort to have the presiding judge recused by submitting a motion to that effect. They claimed she had lost faith in the judge’s impartiality after learning, from a supposedly leaked document, that the judge had already decided that she was guilty.
The recusal application, however, was denied by Judge Mazlan on the grounds that the prosecution had established guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
An organisation representing Malaysian citizens is pleased with the sentence.
Former Bersih 2.0 secretariat manager Mandeep Singh declared, “Justice has been served for the people of Malaysia.”
“We must continue to work for the benefit of the people of Malaysia. We hope [Rosmah] will join her husband in prison, but she still has the option of appealing.”
Mahnur is MS(development Studies)Student at NUST University, completed BS Hons in Eng Literature. Content Writer, Policy analyst, Climate Change specialist, Teacher, HR Recruiter.
