Former governor of Malaysia’s Sarawak Taib Mahmud dies as family tussles over his wealth

Taib’s death follows a final episode of high drama involving his alleged abduction from a hospital by his wife Raghad Kurdi

Raghad and Taib’s children are locked in a legal battle over the transfer of shares owned by their father to her name in a public listed conglomerate

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Taib Mahmud had led Malaysia’s Sarawak state for over three decades as chief minister. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:20am, 21 Feb 2024Updated: 10:59am, 21 Feb 2024

Sarawak’s former governor Taib Mahmud died at the age of 87 on Wednesday morning, after weeks of speculation over his health as he was shuttled across Malaysia deepening an acrimonious dispute between his wife and children over his wealth.

Taib, also Sarawak’s longest-serving chief minister, died before dawn in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur, according to an announcement on his daughter Hanifah Hajar’s Facebook page.

The politician’s death follows a final episode of high drama involving his alleged abduction from a hospital in Kuching in Sarawak by his Syrian wife, Raghad Kurdi Taib.

She is in a legal tussle over parts of his estate with his sons.

The rumours surrounding Taib, who was replaced as governor last month, picked up steam after a copy of a police report went viral on Malaysian social media claiming that he had been forcibly removed from intensive care at a specialist hospital in Kuching on February 3 by his wife and a team that included bodyguards and a butler.