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A verdict on the corruption trial of Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, is expected this week, on Sep. 1.
Ahead of the date, however, an alleged copy of the judgment finding Rosmah to be guilty has been leaked and uploaded onto the news blog Malaysia Today on Aug. 26.
Rosmah is accused of taking bribes and faces three counts of corruption linked to a RM1.25 billion solar energy project involving rural schools in Sarawak.
Guilty "verdict"
The leaked document appeared to be put together from photographs of a printed copy.
It also says it was prepared for YA Tuan Mohamed Zaini bin Mazlan, a high court judge.
The "conclusion" section of the 71-page document appears to deem Rosmah guilty of her offences, as it states the opinion that the elements of the offences she allegedly committed were "fulfilled by the prosecution on a standard beyond reasonable doubt", and that "the accused had made bare denials unsupported by any evidences".
Malaysia police say leaked document not the verdict
The chief registrar's office of the apex Federal Court in Malaysia said it has lodged a police report over the alleged leak, according to Free Malaysia Today.
It said in a statement that the alleged leak was a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of the court’s operation, and its administration of justice.
Since then, police in Malaysia have denied allegations that the leaked document is a draft of the verdict, according to Malay Mail.
Instead, a police spokesperson said it was a confidential internal report prepared by a research team in Kuala Lumpur's High Court.
“According to the complainant, the document will be amended based on new research findings and further studies and is not a verdict,” the police spokesperson said.
The leak is reportedly being investigated under multiple Malaysian laws, said the police spokesperson.
The High Court in Malaysia previously announced that its judgment on Rosmah's case would be delivered on Sep. 1, reported Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times.
Najib's case
Najib commenced a 12-year prison term on Aug. 23.
He was convicted in 2020 of seven charges related to the misappropriation of RM42 million (S$13.7 million) of funds belonging to then 1MDB subsidiary SRC International, and failed in his appeal.
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Top photo via Sadiq Asyraf/Getty Images and Malaysia Today