Wife of former Malaysian leader faces new graft charges

Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's anti-graft agency said Wednesday the wife of ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak will face new corruption charges, along with two former government officials and a businessman.

The agency said Rosmah Mansor will be charged Thursday with Najib's former special officer, Rizal Mansor, in a case linked to a solar energy project for rural schools in eastern Sarawak state on Borneo island.

The charges come over a month after Rosmah, 66, pleaded not guilty to laundering illegal proceeds and tax evasion in a multibillion-dollar graft scandal that led to her husband's shocking electoral loss in May.

The agency said in a statement that former Federal Territories Minister Adnan Mansor was detained Wednesday and will be jointly charged the following day with a businessman in another case linked to several land sales in Kuala Lumpur. The defendants are not related.

Najib, his former deputy and several high-ranking former officials have already been charged with corruption. Najib has accused the new government of seeking political vengeance.

The May 9 election outcome ushered in the first change of power since Malaysia's independence from Britain in 1957. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, whose alliance ousted Najib's long-ruling coalition, has said the court cases are "not about revenge" but are based on the rule of law and that those accused will be given fair trials.