Malaysian High Court acquits Rosmah Mansor of money laundering and tax evasion charges

The Malaysian High Court has acquitted Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, of 17 charges related to money laundering and tax evasion.

Justice K Muniandy ruled that the charges were fundamentally flawed and did not comply with legal procedures under the Criminal Procedure Code.

He stated that the charges amounted to duplicity and multiplicity and did not disclose any offence.

Invoking his original jurisdiction and inherent powers as the trial judge, Muniandy granted Rosmah an acquittal and discharge without proceeding to trial.

Rosmah, 72, faced 12 charges of money laundering involving RM7.09 million and five charges of failing to declare her income to the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN).

The alleged offences were committed between 4 December 2013 and 8 June 2017, and the charges were filed on 4 October 2018.

Justice Muniandy emphasised that the prosecution’s charges were procedurally defective, citing issues of duplicity and multiplicity, which involve overlapping or improperly framed charges.

Such flaws can undermine the fairness of legal proceedings and violate judicial standards.

Despite this acquittal, Rosmah remains entangled in legal proceedings.

She is appealing her conviction and sentence in a separate corruption case concerning a RM1.25 billion solar energy project for rural schools in Sarawak.

In September 2022, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined RM970 million after being found guilty of soliciting and receiving bribes related to the project.

The Court of Appeal is set to hear her application to disqualify the trial judge, Zaini Mazlan, on 5 March 2025.

If her application is dismissed, the court will proceed to hear the merits of her appeal against the conviction and sentence on 19 March 2025.