Former Malaysian PM Najib's wife arrested on corruption charges
Kuala Lumpur, Oct 3: The wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was arrested on Wednesday on money-laundering charges related to a corruption scandal.
Rosmah Mansor, 66, was arrested by Malaysia's Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and will face several money laundering charges, Efe news reported citing a statement.
This was Rosmah's third appearance in front of commission after she was interrogated on June 5 and September 26.
She was questioned over the alleged diversion of funds from the state-owned 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund to the couple's private accounts.
Her husband was also questioned by the police on Wednesday, having been released on bail last Friday after being charged with 25 fresh charges of money-laundering and abuse of power.
Najib, 65, has been charged with 32 counts of corruption in 1MDB, which he founded in 2009 and presided over till 2016.
A news report in 2015 alleged that Najib had diverted $681 million from 1MDb into his personal account.
He denied the allegations, saying the money was a donation from a Saudi prince. He was cleared by Malaysian authorities while in power.
The case was reopened after a change in government in May and new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad banned his predecessor and wife from leaving the country pending an investigation.
Six other countries, including the US, Switzerland and Singapore, opened probes into the embezzlement and diversion of funds from the 1MDB, a fund established to attract foreign investment which accumulated a debt of 42 billion ringgit (around $10 billion).
The US Department of Justice estimated that about $4.5 billion were diverted from 1MDB, of which about $1 billion could have been laundered in the US through the purchase of real estate, yachts, jewellery and works of art, among other goods.
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KERC increases electricity tariffs for commercial, industrial consumers
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission has reduced electricity tariffs for agricultural pump sets for 2025–26 from the earlier uniform rate of Rs 8.30 per unit to a range of Rs 6.57 to Rs 7.79 per unit across the state.
However, the Commission has increased tariffs for select commercial and industrial consumers by 10 paise to a maximum of 95 paise per unit.
As per the Commission’s order, the revised tariffs are as follows: LT-3a (low-tension commercial) consumers will pay a fixed charge of Rs 235 per kW and an energy charge of Rs 7.10 per unit, while LT-5 (industrial) consumers will be charged Rs 165 per HP as fixed charges and Rs 5.20 per unit as energy charges.
In the high-tension segment, HT-2a (industrial) consumers will pay a demand charge of Rs 365 per kVA and an energy charge of Rs 6.70 per unit, while HT-2b (commercial) consumers will pay Rs 390 per kVA as demand charges and Rs 6.90 per unit as energy charges.
The revised tariffs were notified in an order issued on March 3 after the Commission allowed a review petition filed by five state-run electricity supply companies—Bangalore Electricity Supply Company, Mangalore Electricity Supply Company, Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation, Hubli Electricity Supply Company and Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company.
The order, however, does not specify the date from which the revised tariffs will come into effect.
In its earlier tariff order dated March 27, 2025, the Commission had fixed the LT-4a tariff uniformly at Rs 8.30 per unit across all ESCOMs.
Consumers in the LT-4a category — primarily agricultural pump set users — are provided free power supply, with the state government reimbursing the cost through subsidies.
According to the order, the petitioners informed the Commission that despite the Government of Karnataka allocating Rs 16,021 crore towards subsidies for free power supply to LT-4a consumers, the ESCOMs would not be able to fully recover the cost of electricity supplied under the earlier tariff structure.
The Commission noted that this would leave distribution companies with no option but to demand payment of the balance amount from farmers, leading to “unexpected and undue hardship” for the agricultural community, which it described as the backbone of the state’s agricultural production.
The reduction in the LT-4a tariff would, however, result in a revenue shortfall of Rs 2,362.47 crore compared to the tariffs considered in the order under review.
Observing that it was necessary to safeguard farmers’ interests while ensuring that ESCOMs reasonably recover costs, the Commission said the review petition could be allowed under the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.
The petitioners informed the Commission that the Government of Karnataka has allocated an additional Rs 2,362.47 crore, supplementing the existing budgetary provision of Rs 16,021 crore, recognising that the entire financial burden should not be passed on to consumers and must be partially borne by the government.
The petitioners further stated that they will mobilise Rs 1,107.60 crore through miscellaneous revenue.
“The balance shortfall to be met by increasing tariffs for industrial and commercial consumers, amounting to Rs 1,254.88 crore, appears reasonable and justifiable,” the Commission added.
