Ex Malaysia PM wife hit with two corruption charges

The wife of Malaysia’s ex- prime minister was hit with two new corruption charges on Thursday for allegedly accepting bribes worth 189 million ringgit ($45 million) to help a firm secure a government solar power contract.

Rosmah Mansor — widely reviled in Malaysia due to her penchant for lavish overseas shopping sprees — has already been charged with money laundering and tax evasion related to a billion-dollar scandal that helped topple her husband’s government at polls in May.

Court documents showed the new charges related to Rosmah seeking and receiving payments in connection with a solar project in schools in the eastern state of Sarawak in 2016 and 2017.

Rosmah, 66, pleaded not guilty to both charges and was freed on a 1 million ringgit bail, the court will fix the trial dates on December 10.

Rosmah, who has already been hit with 17 charges of corruption and money-laundering, had faced fresh questioning by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on Wednesday.

She faces up to 40 years in jail if found guilty of the two new charges.

Source : AFP