Wife of Malaysian Ex-Prime Minister Arrested on Graft Charges

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By Tiffany Ap on October 3, 2018

@Tiffany Ap

Rosmah Mansor showing up to a hearing on Oct. 3, 2018.

AHMAD YUSNI/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

BEIJING — Malaysia’s anticorruption agency has arrested the nation’s former first lady Rosmah Mansor on Wednesday to face charges of money laundering, Reuters reported.

The wife of Najib Razak, Malaysia’s former prime minister, has become a key figure in the investigation into the 1MDB scandal, which saw nearly $700 million taken from the country’s sovereign fund and wired into Razak’s personal accounts. She appeared at a hearing on Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur, after being questioned for 13 hours by authorities the week before.

A police raid on the couple in May resulted in a haul that revealed the extent of their lavish lifestyle. Authorities carted out dozens of suitcases stashed with cash, jewelry and hundreds of designer purses.

Mansor will be charged on Thursday, according to Reuters.

The 1MDB investigation has revealed ties to some of Hollywood’s famous faces. Leonardo DiCaprio and model Miranda Kerr were forced to return the gifts Jho Low, a financier and consultant to the 1MDB fund who is now on the run, gave to them.

Kerr returned jewels worth $8.1 million, while DiCaprio relinquished paintings from Basquiat and Picasso gifted by Low to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Boxes containing confiscated items are put inside a police truck in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia . Malaysian police confiscated a few hundred designer handbags and dozens of suitcases containing cash, jewelry and other valuables as part of a corruption and money-laundering investigation into former Prime Minister Najib RazakCorruption, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - 18 May 2018

Malaysian police confiscated a few hundred designer handbags and dozens of suitcases containing cash, jewelry and other valuables in May. Uncredited/AP/REX/Shutterstock

A photograph of seized items from a raid at premises linked to former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak is displayed during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 27 June 2018. According to media reports, an estimated 273 million US dollar of items - including handbags, jewelry, watches and cash - were found at premises linked to Razak.Royal Malaysian Police press conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - 27 Jun 2018

A photograph of seized jewelry from a raid at premises linked to Najib Razak and Rosmah Mansor, shown by the Royal Malaysian Police. AHMAD YUSNI/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

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