KUALA LUMPUR: The wife of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, Rosmah Mansor, was arrested on Wednesday (Oct 3) by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Rosmah Mansor, wife of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, arrives at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Putrajaya on October 3, 2018.

She will spend a night in detention before being taken to court to face money-laundering charges.

"Rosmah will face several charges," the agency said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the charges covered infringements of a law against money laundering and other unlawful activities.

Rosmah, 66, was taken into custody at the MACC headquarters, where she was questioned for the third time in an investigation into alleged graft linked to state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

An MACC source confirmed that Rosmah, who arrived at the MACC headquarters at 10.45am, was arrested at 3.20pm.


The anti-graft agency did not say if the charges against Rosmah relate to 1MDB.

Rosmah Mansor’s lawyer: “We have not been informed of the nature of the charges.”
They also say they don’t know if she’ll be staying in the MACC lockup overnight. #1MDB pic.twitter.com/NcjFFfYI7N

— Sumisha Naidu (@SumishaCNA) October 3, 2018

Najib, 64, himself faced questioning on Wednesday by the anti-money laundering and anti-terror financing division of Malaysia's police over a money laundering inquiry, media said.

He is also set to be in court on Thursday for a pre-trial hearing of charges related to 1MDB filed against him.

Last Wednesday, anti-graft investigators spent nearly 13 hours recording Rosmah's statement as part of their inquiry into 1MDB.

Her husband Najib, whose coalition suffered a stunning election defeat in May, faces 32 charges ranging from money laundering to abuse of power and criminal breach of trust in the effort to uncover how billions of dollars went missing from 1MDB.

The couple's world has been turned upside down since Najib lost the election to his one-time mentor Mahathir Mohamad, who swiftly reopened a probe into 1MDB.


Corruption accusations have dogged Najib for years, and came to a head in 2015, when the Wall Street Journal reported that nearly US$700 million in 1MDB funds was diverted to his personal bank account.

Rosmah has long been in the public eye over her penchant for handbags, jewellery and shopping sprees.

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google Plus

RELATED POSTS