In Malaysia, money squabbles cast long shadow over death of Sarawak’s ex-governor Taib Mahmud

But on Wednesday morning, a tearful Raghad Kurdi Taib and her husband’s four children appeared to have set aside their differences for Taib’s wake at the national mosque.

There, alongside members of Taib’s extended family, they received a long line of national and state leaders who arrived to pay their last respects.

Taib was accorded a state funeral, his casket placed on a pedestal and draped in the Malaysian flag, surrounded by vigil guards.

The former Sarawak governor’s body was later flown back to Kuching, where the state government will arrange for a second wake at his residence before burial on Thursday.

Taib’s death followed a frantic final few weeks in the life of a wealthy fief who helmed Sarawak for decades with shrewd, ruthless politicking and a network of business connections.

On February 3, his cross-country journey for treatment began amid allegations that he had been forcibly removed from a hospital in Kuching in Sarawak by Raghad, flanked by security and butlers.

Raghad has vehemently denied the allegations, saying on her Instagram on Monday she “would never undertake uninformed action to jeopardise” Taib’s well-being.

Her account is awash with posts of her and Taib at state banquets and hosting VIP guests including sultan of Brunei and Malaysia’s former king, and spending time together as a couple.

Raghad is currently embroiled in a lawsuit brought by Taib’s two sons, Mahmud Abu Bekir and Sulaiman Abdul Rahman, over the patriarch’s wealth.

The men are seeking to stop the transfer of shares to her held by their father in Cahaya Mata Sarawak (CMS), a sprawling conglomerate founded during his earlier three-decade rule as Sarawak chief minister.

In their lawsuit, the brothers questioned the authenticity of Taib’s