Malaysia's former first lady will reportedly face money-laundering charges in the 1MDB scandal – after her husband was already hit with corruption charges.
Rosmah Mansor, who is married to the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, may soon be charged for her alleged involvement in the $4.5 billion 1MDB graft scheme, Malaysian newspaper «New Strait Times» reported on its website on Tuesday.
Investigators in Kuala Lumpur are reheating a largely dormant investigation into the stealing of 1MDB funds since change of government. The first person to face corruption charges is none other than her husband, Najib Razak, the former Prime Minister. Najib has protested his innocence and vowed to fight.
Mansor is unpopular in Malaysia, where she is viewed as a spendthrift with a penchant for high-end Italian and French handbags, ostentatious jewelry, and anti-aging treatments. Recent raids at a luxury Kuala Lumpur condo linked to Najib’s family turned up almost 300 boxes of designer handbags, 114 million Malaysian ringgit ($27.5 million) in cash and jewelry. The family has said the bags and baubles were wedding presents to his daughter.
5th Avenue Diamonds
One of Mansor's last public appearances was in July, where she was filmed by news outlets receiving consolations from supporters after Najib was charged (he has vowed to fight the charges and prove his innocence):
Famously, Rosmah received a $27.3 million 22-carat pink diamond necklace from New York jeweler Lorraine Schwartz four years ago. The diamond deal was reportedly orchestrated by Jho Low and paid for with stolen 1MDB money. U.S. prosecutors allege Low was at the heart of the 1MDB corruption scheme.
The still-AWOL Malaysian financier denies wrong-doing but acknowledges youthful mistakes, on a recently-launched website. Low has been stripped of his private jet as well as his $260 million yacht, the Equanimity, as well as luxury real estate, art, and other assets.
Deutsche Bank Involved?
Separately, investigators appear to be widening their net around the 1MDB scandal: ex-Deutsche Banker Tan Boon-Kee was interviewed by Singaporean investigators last month, according to various media reports. She ran Deutsche's financial institutions group in Asia until July.
She was questioned on her links to both Low and to Roger Ng, a former Goldman Sachs Malaysia banker. Tim Leissner, Goldman’s former southeast Asia head, appears to be cooperating with prosecutors in the U.S. The former star banker was let go by Goldman and is banned in Singapore for ten years, as well as barred from the U.S. securities industry.
