KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Fresh charges were levied against Rosmah Mansor, wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, on Thursday for receiving bribes in connection with a 300-million-U.S. dollar solar power project for rural schools.
Rosmah and her former special officer were separately charged for attempting to solicit 44.8 million U.S. dollars, 15 percent of the contract value, from the company awarded the contract.
Rosmah was also charged with receiving bribes from the company director to assist him in obtaining the contract.
Her special officer, Rizal Mansor, faced four charges - two counts of soliciting and another two counts of receiving bribes.
Both of them pleaded not guilty to the charges.
It had been previously alleged that the solar panel project, involving more than 300 schools in the country's eastern state of Sarawak, was awarded to a company without an open tender with the endorsement by Najib.
Rosmah already faces 17 money laundering and tax-evasion offences involving 1.6 million U.S. dollars.
Najib himself faces 38 corruption charges involving billions of dollars in public funds connected to the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.
Meanwhile, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, the federal territories minister in Najib's government was charged on two counts of receiving 720,000 U.S. dollars from two property developers over land deals involving the Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
Tengku Adnan, who had served as secretary-general of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), also pledged not guilty.
UMNO has led a coalition to govern Malaysia for more than 60 years until the general elections in May. The new government led by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed has launched investigations into alleged wrongdoing during Najib's government.
