Former governor of Malaysia’s Sarawak Taib Mahmud dies as family tussles over his wealth

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.

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