(CNN) Malaysian authorities arrested Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, on Wednesday, state media reported, citing the government's anti-corruption body.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission confirmed Rosmah's arrest in a statement posted on its social media accounts.
Rosmah will face "several charges" under the Anti-Money Laundering, Prevention of Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, according to the anti-corruption agency's statement reported by state-run Bernama
Rosmah is expected to be charged Thursday morning in Kuala Lumpur.
Rosmah's attorneys, Datuk K. Kumaraendran and Datuk Geethan Ram, told reporters that their client was arrested Wednesday afternoon after questioning and that they hadn't been told the nature of the charges against her, according to video posted by The Star, an English-language newspaper in Malaysia.
CNN has reached out to Rosmah's legal team for comment.
Separately, Najib is facing at least 25 corruption-related charges associated with a multibillion-dollar scandal that has engulfed the state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, which was established under his leadership.
The ex-prime minister has consistently denied the allegations against him.
The couple's daughter, Nooryana Najwa Najib, criticized the authorities for arresting her mother in a post on Instagram.
"I can accept taking action on a man who was in power but putting the women in his life in harm's way is going too far," she wrote.
Update: This story has been updated to include the full name of Najib's daughter.
SERAMBINEWS.COM, KUALA LUMPUR - Istri mantan Perdana Menteri Malaysia Najib Razak , Rosmah Mansor , dilaporkan ditahan Komisi Anti-korupsi Malaysia (MACC).
Kabar ditahannya Rosmah disampaikan pengacaranya, K Kumaraendran, sebagaimana dilaporkan kantor berita AFP Rabu (3/10/2018).
"Dia ditahan setelah memberikan penjelasan di markas MACC," terang Kumaraendran.
Menurut penuturan sumber, Rosmah ditahan pukul 15.20 waktu setempat.
The Star melaporkan, Rosmah bakal dihadirkan ke pengadilan Kamis (4/10/2018), dan bakal didakwa dengan pasal pencucian uang.
Total, Rosmah telah tiga kali hadir di markas MACC untuk memberikan keterangan terkait skandal korupsi 1Malaysia Development Berhad ( 1MDB) yang menjerat suaminya.
Di 5 Juni, dia diperiksa selama lima jam di MACC terkait penyelidikan SRC International, mantan anak perusahaan 1MDB.
Kemudian di 26 September Rosmah kembali dipanggil untuk ditanyai seputar 1MDB dengan lama pemeriksaan sekitar 13 jam.
Sebelumnya suaminya telah ditangkap dan mendapat 25 dakwaan terkait penipuan dan pencucian uang atas transaksi 2,3 miliar ringgit, sekitar Rp 8,3 triliun, yang diduga berhubungan dengan 1MDB.
Skandal yang pertama kali menguap di 2015 itu menjungkalkan Najib di pemilihan umum Malaysia 9 Mei dari Mahathir Mohamad.
Mahathir yang kemudian naik menjadi Perdana Menteri Malaysia menegaskan bakal kembali membuka kasus yang juga diselidiki Amerika Serikat (AS) itu. (*)
Baca: Ratna Sarumpaet Mengaku Tidak Pernah Dianiaya: Itu Hanya Khayalan
Baca: Ratna Sarumpaet Menangis dengan Wajah Lebam, Akui Sebagai Pencipta Hoax Terbaik
Baca: BNPB: Korban Tewas Gempa dan Tsunami di Sulteng 1.407 Orang, Lebih dari 70.000 Warga Mengungsi
Artikel ini telah tayang di Kompas.com dengan judul "Istri Najib Ditahan KPK Malaysia , Bakal Didakwa Pasal Pencucian Uang"
KUALA LUMPUR: Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak, was charged on Thursday (Oct 4) morning with 17 offences, including receiving proceeds of illegal activities as well as failure to declare income tax.
The charges related to money laundering involved about RM7 million (US$1.7 million), Bernama news agency reported.
Advertisement
The 66-year-old pleaded not guilty to the charges at a court complex where her husband Najib Razak was also making a separate appearance in connection with the alleged plunder of state funds.
JUST IN: Wife of former Malaysian PM Najib Razak, Rosmah Mansor, arrives in court to be charged for money laundering in connection with #1MDB pic.twitter.com/bX6xUF7pAS — Sumisha Naidu (@SumishaCNA) October 4, 2018
Bail has been set at RM2 million with RM500,000 to be paid on Thursday and the rest due by Oct 11. Her case will be heard again on Nov 8.
Advertisement
Advertisement
The prosecution earlier argued for bail to be set at RM10 million on condition that her passport is surrendered and she is not allowed to meet any of the prosecution's witnesses.
This after lead prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram told the court that Rosmah had "approached a witness with a request to make a statement in her favour".
Rosmah's lawyers argued for bail to be instead set at RM250,000 citing the surrender of her passport as the reason for a lower amount. They also argued that in Najib's case, where RM2.6 billion was involved, bail was set at RM3.5 million.
The money laundering charges carry a penalty of up to 15 years in jail and a fine of not less than five times the value of the proceeds of any illegal transfers, or RM5 million, whichever is higher.
As she left the courtroom, Rosmah waved to about 30 supporters and said “I love you” to them.
Rosmah spent a night in detention after she was arrested on Wednesday by the country's anti-graft agency and was brought to the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex in Jalan Duta at around 8.30am.
Her arrest follows three rounds of questioning by anti-graft officials over state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), from which US authorities say more than US$4.5 billion was misappropriated.
Last Wednesday, she was questioned for nearly 13 hours.
Her husband is also in court for a pre-trial hearing of charges related to 1MDB filed against him.
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 65-year-old former leader has denied any wrongdoing following revelations that hundreds of millions of dollars ended up in his personal bank accounts.
Najib and Rosmah have both been barred from leaving the country and their home and other properties linked to them have been searched by the police as part of the 1MDB investigations.
The haul seized from their homes - Malaysia's biggest and worth up to US$275 million - included 567 handbags and 423 watches. A total of 12,000 pieces of jewellery were also seized, including 1,400 necklaces, 2,200 rings, 2,800 pairs of earrings and 14 tiaras.
Najib has said most of the items seized from his houses were gifts given to his wife and daughter and had nothing to do with 1MDB.
Additional reporting by Channel NewsAsia correspondent Sumisha Naidu.
PUTRAJAYA: The legal proceedings against Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak, are being done according to the law, said Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Thursday (Oct 4).
Referring to a claim by Rosmah's daughter, Ms Nooryana Najwa Najib, that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had gone too far in arresting her mother, Dr Mahathir said the action was not taken out of revenge.
Advertisement
"If it's against the law, the legal process will be carried out; that is our promise and there is no idea of revenge and anything like that," the prime minister told reporters on the sidelines of the sixth ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management.
"The law says (that) if you steal money, you will be charged in court. Whether the court agrees or not, that is a different matter."
Ms Nooryana, in an Instagram post on Wednesday, said she could accept the action taken against her father, Najib, but the arrest of her mother and the raid on her grandmother Rahah Mohammad Noah's house was excessive.
"I can accept taking action on a man who was in power, but putting the women in his life in harm's way is going too far.
Advertisement
Advertisement
"Two weeks ago, you raided his mother's house and today, you remand his wife and plan on charging her the same day that her husband is due in court," Ms Nooryana wrote, adding that the happenings in court on Thursday would make a "great picture and media circus".
Rosmah, 66, was charged on Thursday with 17 counts of money laundering and tax evasion. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Meanwhile, Najib faces 32 charges ranging from money laundering to abuse of power and criminal breach of trust.
