Malaysian prosecutors have dropped their appeal against the acquittal of Rosmah Mansor, the wife of jailed former prime minister Najib Razak, in a case involving money laundering and tax evasion, saying they saw no prospect of success.
Since 2018, the couple have been subject to multiple corruption investigations surrounding Najib’s alleged role in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal. Both have repeatedly denied all wrongdoing.
Rosmah, widely scorned in Malaysia for her extravagant lifestyle and penchant for luxury handbags, was acquitted of 12 money laundering charges and five tax evasion charges by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in December 2024.
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The Attorney General’s Chambers initially decided to appeal the decision but withdrew its application on Tuesday, saying it could not definitively prove that Rosmah committed the offences.
“If the appeal proceeded, the prosecution would not be able to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt as required in a criminal trial, as key witnesses needed to prove the charges against the accused have died,” the AGC said in a statement late on Thursday.
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Amer Hamzah Arshad, a lawyer for Rosmah, said on Friday that they welcomed the prosecution’s appeal withdrawal, adding that Rosmah “maintained her innocence throughout”.