Malaysia Withdraws Appeal Against Rosmah Mansor’s Acquittal

Malaysia’s Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) has officially withdrawn its appeal against the acquittal of Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, regarding 17 charges of money laundering and tax evasion. This decision, announced on December 11, 2023, stems from a lack of viable evidence, as key witnesses in the case are either deceased or untraceable.

In a statement, the AGC acknowledged that pursuing the appeal held “no reasonable prospect of success.” The statement highlighted that the prosecution would struggle to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt due to the absence of essential witnesses. “In such circumstances, the predicate offence against the accused also cannot be proven,” the AGC noted.

Rosmah, aged 74, faced charges in 2018 involving a sum of RM7.09 million (approximately US$1.73 million) related to money laundering, alongside five counts of failing to declare her income to the Inland Revenue Board. On December 19, 2022, High Court Judge K. Muniandy acquitted her of all charges, stating that the prosecution failed to establish key elements necessary for a money laundering conviction.

Initially, the AGC filed an appeal against the High Court’s ruling on December 20, 2022. However, following a review of the court’s written judgement on October 30, 2023, the AGC opted to discontinue the appeal. The AGC confirmed that it filed a notice of discontinuance on December 9, 2023, officially terminating the appeal process. A letter from the Deputy Registrar of the Court of Appeal indicated that the case management scheduled for December 22 has been vacated, thus dismissing the appeal entirely.

Rosmah’s lawyer, Amer Hamzah Arshad, expressed relief regarding the AGC’s decision, asserting that Judge Muniandy’s acquittal was both appropriate and fair. “We are relieved that she has been completely freed from all the charges. This entire process has been a tough test for her, and we are pleased to see that justice has finally been served and the case has been closed,” he remarked.

Rosmah had pleaded not guilty on October 4, 2018, to the charges, which were alleged to have occurred between December 4, 2013, and June 8, 2017. The case was subsequently transferred to the High Court, where her trial began on August 24, 2023. However, the proceedings were halted after she filed a striking-out application on September 6, 2023.

In a separate legal matter, Rosmah continues to appeal her conviction in a corruption case linked to a solar hybrid project for rural schools in Sarawak. She was sentenced to ten years in prison and fined RM970 million by the Kuala Lumpur High Court for three related charges. On September 1, 2022, she was found guilty of soliciting RM187.5 million in bribes from contractor Saidi Abang Samsudin to secure a RM1.25 billion government project aimed at supplying solar energy to 369 rural schools in Sarawak. Additionally, she was accused of receiving bribes totaling RM6.5 million from Saidi at the prime minister’s official residence and her private residence in Kuala Lumpur between December 2016 and September 2017.

The timeline for the appeal hearing regarding the corruption case remains uncertain, according to local media reports. Rosmah is also pursuing efforts to recuse or disqualify the trial judge who convicted her in the corruption case.