KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 — Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor has welcomed the High Court’s decision today to grant her discharge and acquittal from money laundering and tax evasion charges.

The acquittal follows Rosmah’s application to have all charges against her quashed on the grounds that they were defective and lacked the essential elements required to support the alleged offences, thus depriving her of a fair trial.

"From day one, my lawyers informed me that there was no basis for these charges,” she said.

"This is what I call justice, and it is the kind of justice that everyone should have. Justice should never be played with — not just for us, but for the public as well.”

"Let me rest now, breathe a bit. Alhamdulillah,” she told reporters at a press conference following the court’s ruling.

Rosmah’s lawyers stated that today’s decision had finally served her interest in justice, after enduring six years of trial proceedings.

"To put it simply, we are absolutely thrilled, delighted, and thankful for today’s decision. Justice has finally been served,” they said.

Earlier, High Court judge K. Muniandy ruled that the charges against Rosmah were illegal and flawed, as they failed to comply with provisions in the Criminal Procedure Code.

"The charges amounted to duplicity and multiplicity. Furthermore, they did not disclose any offence,” he said.

Rosmah, 73, filed her application to strike out the charges in September 2023. The hearing began on December 12 that same year, following partial proceedings in which two witnesses had testified.

This was Rosmah’s second corruption trial. On September 1, 2022, Court of Appeal judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan — then a High Court judge — found Rosmah guilty of three corruption charges related to a RM1.25 billion hybrid solar project intended to provide electricity to 369 rural schools in Sarawak.

Rosmah, the wife of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for each charge, to be served concurrently. This means she will serve only 10 years.

She was also fined RM970 million, with a default sentence of 30 years in jail. However, her sentence is currently on hold pending an appeal to the Court of Appeal.