Trial kicked off in Malaysia on Monday against Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Malaysian PM Najib Razak, accused of taking bribes worth about 187 million ringgit ($ 45.5 million), The Star reported.

Law enforcement authorities found that in 2016, when Najib headed the government, his 69-year-old wife extorted money from the management of Jepak Holdings in exchange for winning a tender for the supply of hybrid and diesel power plants for several hundred schools in Sarawak. The project cost was estimated at 1.2 billion ringgit ($ 304.7 million).

She could face up to 20 years in prison. An investigation into the unlawful activities of the former PM family began almost immediately after Najib’s defeat in the May 2018 parliamentary elections. A few days after the tabulation, the ex-head of government and his family tried to leave Malaysia, but were detained at the capital's airport.

The supreme trial of Najib began on April 3 last year.