Malaysia’s former first lady Rosmah found guilty of bribery

By Rozanna Latiff

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -A Malaysian court docket discovered Rosmah Mansor, the spouse of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, responsible on Thursday of looking for and receiving bribes in change for presidency contracts, simply days after her husband was jailed for corruption.

Kuala Lumpur Excessive Court docket Decide Mohamed Zaini Mazlan mentioned the prosecution proved their case past an inexpensive doubt. Earlier than delivering the sentence, the decide requested Rosmah’s legal professionals to current their case for mitigation.

Rosmah, who faces jail time and a monetary penalty, addressed the decide tearfully instantly after the decision.

“I need to admit that I am very unhappy with what occurred right this moment,” she mentioned. “No person noticed me taking the cash, no one noticed me counting the cash…. but when that is the conclusion, I depart it to God.”

Rosmah,70, had pleaded not responsible to 3 fees of soliciting and receiving bribes between 2016 and 2017 to assist an organization safe a $279 million solar energy provide challenge from the federal government when her husband was in energy.

The fees carry penalties of as much as 20 years in jail and a advantageous of at the least 5 occasions the quantity of the bribe, though Rosmah may search a keep on sentencing by the Kuala Lumpur Excessive Court docket pending appeals to larger courts.

Prosecutors say Rosmah sought a bribe of 187.5 million ringgit ($41.80 million), and acquired 6.5 million ringgit from an official of the corporate that gained the challenge.

Rosmah has argued that she was framed by her former aide in addition to a number of authorities and firm officers concerned within the challenge.

Najib and his spouse, who has confronted criticism for her lavish life-style, are on the centre of a wide-ranging crackdown on corruption mounted after defeat in a historic 2018 election ended Najib’s 9 years in energy.

Final week, Najib started serving a 12-year jail sentence after Malaysia’s prime court docket upheld his conviction in a case linked to a multibillion-dollar graft scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Improvement Berhad (1MDB). He stays on trial in 4 different corruption instances.

($1 = 4.4880 ringgit)

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; further reporting by Hasnoor Hussain and Ebrahim Harris; Enhancing by Simon Cameron-Moore)