KUALA LUMPUR: Rosmah Mansor, wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, was brought in for questioning by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in connection to the 1MDB state fund probe on Wednesday.
The former first lady faced an eight-hour long interrogation at the agency’s headquarters in Putrajaya. It was her second summons in connection with the money transfers into her husband’s bank account that aroused suspicion. Her first interrogation session in June lasted for three hours.
Clad in green headscarf and traditional Malay ensemble, Mansor arrived at the MACC building at 9.50 a.m. in a black car. She was quickly ushered into the building with her lawyers for questioning.
Local and international journalists had been crowding the MACC building as early as 6.30 a.m.
This was the second time she was called in for questioning by the Malaysia anti-graft investigators. Mansor was probed in June at the MACC headquarters on the case related to the scandal-plagued 1MDB-linked company, SRC International.
“The public continues to demand thorough, transparent and fair investigations into 1MDB. It is imperative that all parties continue to render assistance to the investigative authorities,” said Dr. Oh Ei Sun, a Malaysian political analyst at the Pacific Research Center.
Malaysia anti-graft deputy chief commissioner Azam Baki said on Thursday that the commission “did not dismiss the possibility of Rosmah being prosecuted soon,” according to Malaysia’s Bernama portal. Mansor could soon face more than 20 criminal charges, mostly related to money laundering, according to local media reports.
Better known for her love of Birkin bags and expensive jewelry, Mansor has had an extravagant lifestyle which has been linked to the former Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos’s wife, Emelda Marcos. Marcos was known for her extensive collection of shoes.
In May, the Pakatan Harapan political coalition won a surprise landslide election and took office. The elections upset triggered a domino effect over the 1MDB scandal when the new Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, vowed to reopen the case.
In May, Najib Razak and his wife were barred from the country and rumors swirled that the couple would head out to Indonesia.
In June, the Malaysian police had its biggest seizure of $275 million worth of luxury goods. These include 567 designer handbags, 12,000 pieces of jewelry, 423 watches and cash at Razak and Mansor’s homes. These items were suspected to be bought from money linked to the 1MDB state funds.
Razak is facing 30 court charges over his alleged involvement in the 1MDB-linked corruption scandal, which includes money laundering, abuse of power, and criminal breach of trust.
