Who Is Raghad Kurdi, Second Wife Of Former Sarawak Governor Taib Mahmud? (And Where Is He?)
Sarawak Report alleges Raghad removed Taib Mahmud from the hospital.
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Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, 87, has been the Sarawak Governor since 2014 but stepped down on 20 January 2024 due to poor health, believed to be a life-threatening brain infection.
Taking over his post as the 8th Sarawak Governor is Tan Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, the former president of the Dewan Negara.
READ MORE: Wan Junaidi Resigns As Dewan Negara President To Assume Role As New Sarawak Governor
Taib Mahmud is known for being a very wealthy man. His tight hold over Sarawak’s logging industry earned him the nickname as the state’s Timber King. With his poor health, rumours are rife, thanks to Sarawak Report, on his household situation.
According to the Sarawak Report, Taib’s health has been deteriorating. As per his children’s wishes, he was supposed to be cared for at the private Normah Hospital in Kuching.
However, his younger second wife, Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Raghad Kurdi Taib, 43, now allegedly estranged from all his immediate family, had allegedly removed him from the hospital in the middle of the night.
Sarawak Report alleges all this happened over the weekend, citing a police report they “sighted”.
Sarawak Report did not include a photograph of the police report in their article but on social media, a copy of it is going viral. While the date in the report itself is 3/2/2023, the date filed was written as 04/02/2024, which suggests 2023 could have been a typo.
While the above is a cropped copy of the police report, the full one is also being shared. The date filed is , while in the body of the report, it says 2023. This could indicate that 2023 is actually just a typo.
In the latest update, Malaysiakini reports that police confirmed receiving a report that Taib Mahmud had been “kidnapped” by a family member.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Mancha Ata said in a statement that the case was being investigated under Section 336 of the Penal Code.
Leaked pictures allegedly showed that Raghad was hurriedly packing to move out of Demak Jaya. In the pictures taken inside the home, there were rows of boxes and suitcases packed and lined up in a room. However, it is not confirmed when these photos were actually taken.
Demak Jaya is bequeathed to Taib’s second daughter Hanifah in the event of his eventual demise.
Who is Raghad Kurdi Taib?
Raghad Kurdi Taib (also spelled Ragad at times) was born in Syria. She married Taib Mahmud at 29 years old in 2010 after his first wife, Laila, passed due to cancer the year before.
Raghad’s marriage to Taib was arranged by her uncle Robert Geneid, whose wife is Taib’s sister Raziah.
After six years of marriage to Taib, the former air hostess allegedly obtained a Malaysian identity card (IC), native-title lands, and voting rights.
This posed a glaring problem because many Sarawakian natives have a hard time getting Malaysian citizenship and there have been calls for an investigation regarding Raghad’s fast-tracked citizenship.
According to Free Malaysia Today, the Astana Negara lodged a police report against anyone questioning Raghad’s native status.
Raghad’s two children from a previous marriage were also granted Malaysian citizenship in June 2023.
Currently, she faces lawsuits from her stepchildren concerning the vast company shares transferred to her name.
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