KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 — Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor is now free from a case involving alleged money laundering of RM7 million and alleged tax evasion on the same amount, as the prosecution has dropped its appeal against the High Court’s December 2024 acquittal of her.

One of Rosmah’s lawyers, Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin, confirmed that the prosecution had withdrawn its appeal against his client’s acquittal from all 17 charges in the case.

“This is indeed very good news, I’m very delighted with the decision,” he told Malay Mail when contacted.

When contacted, lawyer Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad confirmed that the prosecution’s withdrawal of the appeal meant the end of all the money laundering charges against his client Rosmah.

“We welcome the prosecution’s decision to discontinue its appeal. The discontinuance confirms that the original acquittal by Justice Muniandy was sound and just.

“Datin Seri Rosmah has maintained her innocence throughout. We are relieved that she has been fully vindicated. This entire process has been a profound ordeal for her, and we are pleased to see justice ultimately prevail and that this chapter is conclusively closed,” he told Malay Mail.

The prosecution had in a December 9 notice told the Court of Appeal that it was withdrawing the appeal, and said the public prosecutor does not intend to continue the appeal.

The notice did not state any reasons for the prosecution’s decision to drop the appeal.

In a letter today to the High Court, a deputy registrar at the Court of Appeal confirmed to the High Court that the prosecution had filed the notice of withdrawal of appeal dated December 9, and also confirmed that the appeal is now deemed to have been dismissed based on Rule 73 of the Rules of the Court of Appeal 1994.

In other words, the appeal has officially been withdrawn and discontinued.

Previously, High Court judge K. Muniandy — who was recently elevated on October 27 to be a Court of Appeal judge — had on December 19, 2024 decided to acquit Rosmah of all 17 charges against her in this money laundering case.

When deciding to acquit Rosmah, the High Court judge had decided to grant her application to strike out all 17 charges, due to reasons such as how the charges had been framed against her.

Under the 17 charges which were all brought under Malaysia’s anti-money laundering laws, Rosmah had been accused of 12 counts of money laundering through the alleged illegal deposits worth RM7,097,750 via 235 transactions into her Affin Bank account between December 4, 2013 and June 8, 2017.

The remaining five counts of money laundering against Rosmah were on her alleged tax evasion, where she was accused of failing to declare the same RM7,097,750 amount to the Inland Revenue Board for five tax assessment years from 2013 to 2017.

Separately, Rosmah is still pursuing her appeal at the Court of Appeal against her conviction in a separate corruption case involving a RM1.25 billion solar hybrid energy project for 369 Sarawak schools.

In that separate case, the High Court had sentenced Rosmah to 10 years’ jail and a RM970 million fine after finding her guilty of all three corruption charges in that case. The sentence has not been carried out as she is still appealing against it.

Rosmah is the wife of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.