Former governor of Malaysia’s Sarawak Taib Mahmud dies as family tussles over his wealth
- Taib’s death follows a final episode of high drama involving his alleged abduction from a hospital by his wife Raghad Kurdi
- Raghad and Taib’s children are locked in a legal battle over the transfer of shares owned by their father to her name in a public listed conglomerate
Taib, also Sarawak’s longest-serving chief minister, died before dawn in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur, according to an announcement on his daughter Hanifah Hajar’s Facebook page.
She is in a legal tussle over parts of his estate with his sons.
Malaysia police probe claims ex-governor was taken from hospital amid legal row
The rumours surrounding Taib, who was replaced as governor last month, picked up steam after a copy of a police report went viral on Malaysian social media claiming that he had been forcibly removed from intensive care at a specialist hospital in Kuching on February 3 by his wife and a team that included bodyguards and a butler.
Raghad has denied the claim, saying that Taib’s doctor approved the discharge.
She also refuted the claim in the report that she had “voluntarily removed all medications” attached to Taib without notifying staff at the Kuching hospital, alleging that repeated calls for help were ignored.
“As the wife and carer for Tun Taib, I, Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Hajah Raghad Kurdi Taib, place my husband’s health and well being as the utmost priority and would never undertake uninformed action to jeopardise his recovery,” Raghad said in a statement posted on her Instagram page, using the couple’s formal titles.
Police had on February 10 confirmed that Taib had been moved to a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur for treatment for an undisclosed condition.
Taib, who married Raghad in 2010 when she was 29, had led Sarawak for over three decades as chief minister, during which he built up the state’s reputation as a premier tourist destination and exporter of premium produce such as black pepper and honeydew melons.
His critics have long accused him of plundering Sarawak’s natural resources and leveraging on his control over the state to enrich himself and his family, allegedly amassing billions of dollars in wealth and assets while placating a political elite through major infrastructure projects and state-sanctioned investments.
His sons, Sulaiman Abdul Rahman and Mahmud Abu Bekir, are suing Raghad over the transfer of shares owned by their father to her name in a public-listed firm founded by Taib during his time as chief minister.
The firm, Cahaya Mata Sarawak, is among the largest conglomerates to come out of Sarawak, with interests ranging from construction to infrastructure development and IT.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim paid tribute to Taib, saying his contributions to the country and Sarawak will be “remembered forever”.
“We, especially the people of Sarawak have lost a respected statesman,” Anwar wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Taib’s body is expected to be brought to his residence in Kuching on Wednesday afternoon, according to a schedule for funeral arrangements released by the Sarawak premier’s office.
An official ceremony to pay last respects will be held on Thursday morning before burial after zohor prayers.
