- The high court found the former first lady guilty of soliciting bribes linked to a US$279 million government contract
- Judge Zaini Mazlan also slapped a US$216 million fine on Rosmah, who maintains she has never squandered ‘a single sen’ of public money
Rosmah Mansor, the wife of disgraced former Malaysian premier Najib Razak, was on Thursday sentenced to 10 years in jail after a court found her guilty of soliciting bribes linked to a US$279-million government contract.
Her guilty verdict comes just a week after Najib was ordered to serve a 12-year jail sentence over a conviction linked to a former unit of scandal-tainted state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
High Court judge Zaini Mazlan also slapped a 970 million ringgit (US$216 million) fine on Rosmah, who was found guilty of all three charges tied to a government contract to set up solar power facilities for hundreds of schools in the state of Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo, while Najib was still in power.
“The accused’s defence is a bad denial. The prosecution has succeeded to prove the case beyond any reasonable doubt,” Zaini said when reading out his judgment. “The accused is guilty of all charges.”
The judge delivered his ruling after a short break to consider the request by Rosmah’s lawyers to impose a one-day jail sentence to run concurrently for all three charges, and the prosecution’s push for the maximum 20-year term.
Before the sentencing, Rosmah said she was saddened by the guilty verdict but maintained she had never thought of abusing her position to enrich herself. She cited the example of the Permata initiative, which she launched to promote preschool education for underprivileged children.
“Never ever have I thought I want to squander money. Never ever have I ever touched a single sen!” she said from the dock.
“The courtroom is where you get justice. I tell my lawyer to always tell the truth and never lie … if that’s the decision, I leave it to God,” Rosmah said, adding that she was a victim of circumstances and that she had never influenced her husband.
The court granted the defence’s application for a stay on Rosmah’s sentence pending her appeal at a higher court.
The 70-year-old former first lady, famed for her penchant for luxury clothes and jewellery, has two higher courts to appeal the verdict.
Prosecutors had accused Rosmah of seeking a bribe of 187.5 million ringgit and receiving 6.5 million ringgit payment from an official whose firm later won a government solar panel project while her husband was prime minister.
She denies allegations of bribe-taking, saying she was framed by a former aide and tried to have the judge recused and the verdict postponed.
Najib and Rosmah had for years appeared above legal reproach, insulated by power and political connections at the top of Malaysian society.
But since Najib led his ruling coalition to a landmark 2018 election loss, corruption allegations have circled, principally linked to 1MDB which outraged Malaysians with its billions of dollars of losses.
Najib is accused of being at the heart of the scandal – a bond-raising venture that Malaysian and US authorities now believe led to US$4.5 billion vanishing into the pockets of officials, their friends and fixers.
Investigators say the money pulled in everyone from US banking titan Goldman Sachs to Hollywood producers.
It will cost Malaysian taxpayers 38.8 billion ringgit (US$8.7 billion) in outstanding debts that the country is committed to service until 2039, well beyond Najib’s 12-year imprisonment.
He was jailed last week by the country’s apex court having exhausted his appeals. He faces four further charges, but analysts say he is likely to seek a royal pardon which could even lead to a stunning political comeback.
His wife also faces a welter of further charges, including money laundering and tax evasion.
The fallout from 1MDB revealed more about the ostentatious spending habits of the former first couple.
Funds were traced to expensive jewellery, including a US$27 million rare pink diamond necklace for Rosmah, according to lawsuits in the US. Malaysian police seized around US$275 million in cash and jewellery, handbags, watches and other luxury goods in raids on homes linked to the couple in 2018.
Source from South China Morning Post
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