Ex-Malaysian PM Najib's wife Rosmah gets 10 years' jail, fined $303m for corruption
KUALA LUMPUR - Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, was sentenced to 10 years' jail and fined RM970 million ($303 million) for corruption on Thursday, just over a week after her husband was jailed after Malaysia's highest court affirmed his corruption conviction.
Rosmah, 70, was found guilty by Malaysia's High Court of soliciting a total of RM194 million (S$61 million) in bribes to help solar energy firm Jepak Holdings secure a RM1.25 billion solar hybrid project for hundreds of schools in Sarawak in 2016.
The sentence is suspended pending her appeal against conviction. She is allowed to remain out on bail, which has been maintained at RM2 million.
Earlier on Thursday, she failed to get Justice Zaini Mazlan recused from the case, arguing that a judgment on it was allegedly leaked and posted online last week.
Rosmah also faces 17 money laundering and tax evasion charges involving a total of RM7.1 million in a separate ongoing trial.
Her conviction comes just over a week after Najib lost his final appeal against a 2020 graft conviction at the Federal Court.
He started serving a 12-year jail term at the Kajang Prison in Selangor on Aug 23.
Najib was Malaysia's prime minister from 2009 to 2018. Critics have accused both him and Rosmah of leading a lavish lifestyle while he was in power.
Najib was convicted of misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International - a former subsidiary of the scandal-tainted state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) - which he co-founded.
He has four other ongoing trials relating to billions of 1MDB monies.
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