Graft trial of Rosmah Mansor, wife of ex-Malaysian PM Najib Razak, delayed after illness claim
- The 69-year-old submitted a doctor’s letter claiming she was too ill to present herself, and the trial has been adjourned till Wednesday
- The case has to do with the installation of solar energy sources at over 350 rural schools in Sarawak and she faces up to 20 years jail if found guilty
Lead prosecutor for the government Gopal Sri Ram described the letter as an act of bad faith to avoid attending court, stating that Rosmah only suffered from “an overdose of publicity and wealth”.
The judge allowed for the matter to be adjourned until Wednesday, saying Rosmah could come to court in a wheelchair if necessary.
The corruption charges against Rosmah are in connection with the installation of solar energy sources at over 350 rural schools in the Bornean state of Sarawak. Accused of three counts of dishonestly soliciting 194 million ringgit (US$47.1 million) in bribes, she faces up to 20 years in jail and a fine if found guilty.
The current trial is just the tip of the iceberg as Rosmah is also facing a separate 12 charges for money laundering and five counts of failure to declare income to the country’s tax authorities, bringing the total number of charges against her to 20.
Rosmah, 69, will be in the same court complex in Kuala Lumpur as her husband Najib – who was ousted in 2018 and promptly charged with over 40 counts of corruption and abuse of power – whose own trial is ongoing.