Kuala Lumpur, Sept 1 (AFP/APP):Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Malaysia’s ex-premier Najib Razak, was found guilty of graft Thursday, just over a week after her husband began serving a 12-year jail term.
“The accused is found guilty of all three charges,” High Court Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said as Rosmah sat quietly in the dock.
The judge added that her defence was “bare denial and unsubstantiated”.
The Kuala Lumpur court began mitigation on Thursday afternoon, ahead of sentencing.
Even after that, Rosmah will not go straight to jail, pending what could be a lengthy appeals process.
Prosecutors said Rosmah had sought a 187.5 million-ringgit ($41.8 million) bribe and received 6.5 million ringgit for helping a company secure a solar power project for rural schools in the Malaysian part of Borneo during her husband’s rule.
She still faces 17 other charges involving tax evasion and money laundering.
The 70-year-old has long been reviled by Malaysians for her reportedly vast collection of designer handbags, clothing and jewellery, acquired on jet-set overseas shopping trips.
Born the only child of two teachers in the country’s south, Rosmah rose to become one of Malaysia’s most influential people.
She made headlines a decade ago for setting up a new unit under the prime minister’s office known as “FLOM”, an acronym for First Lady of Malaysia. The full-fledged department, which set critics’ tongues wagging, was tasked with handling Rosmah’s operational needs.
Her love for luxury, and in particular Hermes Birkin bags, came under the spotlight after 2018 raids in which police confiscated more than 500 handbags and 12,000 pieces of jewellery estimated to be worth $270 million.
This drew unflattering comparisons with one-time Philippine first lady and renowned shoe addict Imelda Marcos — a big-spending wife who for years was a lightning rod for anger over alleged corruption.
