(Bloomberg) -- Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Najib Razak, was granted a full acquittal in her money-laundering and tax evasion case, in the latest legal victory for individuals linked to one of the country’s ruling parties.
Malaysia’s High Court allowed Rosmah’s application to strike out all 17 charges she faced in the trial, the Edge Malaysia reported. High Court judge K Muniandy ruled that the charges — involving 7.1 million ringgit ($1.6 million) — were bad in law, according to the report.
“This is what I call justice, and this is the kind of justice that everybody should have,” Rosmah told reporters outside the courthouse. “It’s not just a birthday gift to me, but also a gift to ‘bossku’,” she added, referring to her husband by his nickname which translates to “my boss”.
The decision adds to the list of legal wins for individuals connected to the United Malays National Organisation, a scandal-tainted party that Najib once led and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim counts on for support. And it’s poised to deepen disillusionment toward Anwar, who rose to power in 2022 promising reforms and an end to corruption.
Prosecutors last week withdrew their appeal against UMNO President and Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi’s graft acquittal. A Malaysian High Court also dropped last month one 1MDB-related case against Najib, who remains influential in the party despite being behind bars. Rosmah, Zahid and Najib were charged in court when Mahathir Mohamad was prime minister. Anwar has denied interfering in their cases.
The prosecution said it will appeal Thursday’s decision, according to the Edge. Rosmah is separately appealing her guilty conviction over a graft case and faces a lawsuit over luxury goods allegedly linked to 1MDB.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.