Malaysia has formally dropped its appeal against the acquittal of Rosmah Mansor, the wife of imprisoned former Prime Minister Najib Razak, in a long-running money laundering and tax evasion case. Prosecutors said the appeal was abandoned after they determined that the case had “no reasonable prospect of success.”

Rosmah was cleared by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in December 2024 of 12 money laundering charges and five counts of tax evasion. Authorities initially sought to overturn the ruling, but the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) announced late Thursday that it could not sufficiently prove the allegations.

The AGC said key witnesses essential to establishing wrongdoing had died, weakening the prosecution’s ability to meet the “beyond reasonable doubt” threshold required in criminal cases.

Her lawyer, Amer Hamzah Arshad, welcomed the decision, noting that Rosmah had “consistently maintained her innocence.” The withdrawal, however, does not impact several other ongoing trials involving the former first lady.

Rosmah remains out on bail while appealing a 10-year prison sentence handed down in 2022 for soliciting and receiving bribes linked to a $279 million solar energy contract awarded during her husband’s administration.

The development comes as Malaysia’s courts prepare for major rulings connected to Najib Razak, who is currently serving a six-year jail term for graft and money laundering tied to the 1MDB scandal. On December 22, the Kuala Lumpur High Court will determine whether Najib can serve his sentence under house arrest, followed by a verdict on December 26 in the most significant 1MDB trial he faces.

Although several charges against Najib have been dropped in recent years, he continues to deny all wrongdoing linked to the alleged multibillion-dollar fraud at 1Malaysia Development Berhad, the state fund he founded in 2009.