(Photo by Mohd RASFAN / AFP)

KUALA LUMPUR – Rosmah Mansor, Malaysia’s ex-prime minister Najib Razak’s wife, was found guilty of graft on Thursday and sentenced to (10) ten years in prison with a $216 million fine, just over a week after her husband began serving a 12- year sentence for his own corruption conviction. 

Malaysians have long chastised the 70 year old for allegedly amassing a vast collection of designer handbags, clothing and jewelry on overseas shopping trips.

She is accused of seeking a $41.8 million bribe for helping secure a solar power project for rural schools in Borneo during her husband’s tenure.

According to High Court Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, Rosmah was accused and found guilty of all three charges. 

The judge added that her defense was “bare denial and unsubstantiated”. 

On Thursday afternoon, the Kuala Lumpur court began mitigation proceedings in preparation for sentencing.

Rosmah will not go straight to jail despite being sentenced, pending what could be a lengthy appeals process. 

She remains on bail and faces 17 other charges related to tax evasion and money laundering. 

Born the only child of two teachers in the country’s south, Rosmah rose to become one of Malaysia’s most influential people. 

She made headlines a decade ago when she established “FLOM,” an acronym for First Lady of Malaysia, as a new unit within the prime minister’s office. The full-fledged department, which riled critics, was tasked with handling Rosmah’s operational requirements.

Her love of luxury, particularly Hermes Birkin bags, came to light following 2018 raids in which police seized more than 500 handbags and 12,000 pieces of jewelry valued at $270 million.

This drew unflattering comparisons to former Philippines first lady and renowned shoe enthusiast Imelda Marcos, a big-spending woman who was a lightning rod for anger over alleged corruption for years.

On Thursday, dressed in a peach-colored traditional Malay dress, scarf with a floral print, and matching face mask, Rosmah arrived in court escorted by police. 

Her son and daughter were also present in court. 

Najib was sentenced to prison nine days ago for the first set of charges stemming from the multibillion-dollar financial scandal at state fund 1MDB that brought down his government in 2018. 

He is currently on trial on four new charges. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for abuse of power and 15 years for money laundering if convicted. 

Rosmah’s reputation fueled accusations that the deposed ruling establishment had lost touch with economically disadvantaged and middle-class Malaysians.

The 1MDB scandal sparked investigations in the United States, Switzerland, and Singapore, all of whose financial systems were suspected of being used to launder money.

According to the US Justice Department, high-level officials at 1MDB and their associates stole more than $4.5 billion from the fund between 2009 and 2015.