Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. (Photo: AFP/VNA)Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Rosmah Mansor, the wife of formerMalaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, was arrested on October 3 by theMalaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
According to her lawyer K. Kumaraendran, she wasarrested while giving her statement at the MACC headquarters over a corruptionprobe at state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Shewill be charged with money laundering, said the lawyer.
Rosmah, 66, has long been in the public eye forflaunting a range of Hermes Birkin handbags and showy jewellery, spendingthousands of dollars in shopping sprees around the world. Her lavish lifestyle has raised public suspicions overher involvement in the case.
The Malaysian authorities saidthe total market value of luxury watches, jewellery, high-end handbags, andcash seized at properties linked to Najib amounted to 372 million USD.
On the same day, Najib wasquestioned by the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing PreventionUnit (AMLA) for three hours. He was asked about the 1MDB fund and his financialtransactions since 2011.
After questioning, he left theAMLA headquarters through an alternative exit to dodge the assembled media.This has been reported as the fourth time he has been called to give hisstatement to facilitate the investigation.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak wascharged on September 20 with money laundering and abuse of power in connectionto the 1MDB case. The charges include four counts of abuse of power regardingan amount of 2.3 billion ringgit (556.3 million USD) and 21 counts of moneylaundering.
However, he pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Najib founded the 1MDB investment fund in 2009,supposedly to serve Malaysia’s development through global partnerships andforeign direct investment. However, it became the centre of a money launderingscandal, allegedly causing losses of up to 3.7 billion USD and leading toprobes into the financial markets in several countries such as the US,Switzerland, Singapore, Malaysia, and China.
He was arrested in July after being charged with three counts of criminalbreach of trust in his former posts as Prime Minister and Minister of Finance,in association with the transfer of 42 million ringgit, or 10 million USD, fromSRC International Sdn Bhd to his personal bank accounts between August 2011 andMarch 2015.
Najib was later freed after paying a bail of 250,000 USD.–VNA
VNA
