Malaysia's former first lady goes on trial for corruption

New Delhi : Malaysia's former first lady, who has allegedly stolen public money, went on trial Wednesday for corruption for the first time since her husband lost power.

Rosmah Mansor is known for having luxurious international trips with vast collections of handbags and jewellery, she came under fire after people targeted her and the anger led to fall of her husband and prime minister Najib Razak's government.

In 2018, Razak's government had to face severe defeat in the elections amid claims that he and his officials plundered billions of dollars from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.

Both Najib and his wife have been then charged with multiple charges of corruption and scandals to loot people's money. Meanwhile, her first trial centers on allegations that she took bribes for government projects.

The prosecutors alleged she pocketed 6.5 million ringgit ($1.6 million) for helping a company secure the project to provide solar power generators to schools on the Malaysian part of Borneo island.

Rosmah has denied all the allegations as proceedings began at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

The former prime minister’s wife “occupied no official position. However, she wielded considerable influence by her own overbearing nature”, said prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram in his opening statement.

"She placed herself in a position where she was able to influence decisions in the public sector."