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Rosmah Mansor, wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister, who loves luxury, was accused Thursday of money laundering linked to a multi-billion dollar scandal that contributed to the fall of her government.
The 66-year-old woman pleaded not guilty to 17 counts of money laundering in a courthouse where her husband, Najib Razak, also appeared on the occasion of alleged looting of public funds.
Prosecutors requested bail of 10 million ringgits ($ 2.4 million) and seized his passport, asking the court to forbid him to contact witnesses.
Senior prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram told the court that Rosmah "approached a witness to ask him to make a statement in his favor".
Rosmah, dressed in a robe and an orange scarf, arrived under high security at the court complex.
The couple was linked to the alleged theft and money laundering of the public investment company 1MDB, which Najib founded when he was in power.
The coalition he led was ousted in May after six decades of power in power, outraged by the scandal.
Prosecutor Gopal told the court that Rosmah's alleged crimes were "very serious" because he justified the high amount of bail required.
Defense lawyers have asked for a deposit of less than 250,000 ringgits.
Rosmah Mansor was widely criticized in Malaysia as its reputation for luxury goods grew
