Rosmah Trial Day 6 Jepak S Business Partner Used Najib S Name Ex Education Ministry Sec Gen

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The corruption trial of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's wife, Rosmah Mansor, involving alleged misappropriation of funds for the supply and installation of solar energy at 369 rural schools in Sarawak continues today at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur
Malaysiakini brings you live reports of the proceedings
Summary of Rosmah Mansor's solar energy project caseThe charges are related to the Education Ministry's solar project for 369 rural schools in Sarawak
The project was valued at RM1.25 billion, and awarded to Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd through direct negotiation
Rosmah is facing 3 chargesClick to view information on judge, prosecution and defence teamsKEY HIGHLIGHTSJepak's business partner used Najib's name - ex-Education Ministry sec-genRosmah's aide kept asking for updates on solar project, says MadinahMadinah claims Rosmah told her to 'expedite' solar projectI called for a technical meeting without Jepak's rep, says Madinah'Education Ministry had to consider Jepak's proposal due to Najib's order'Prosecution calls former Education Ministry sec-gen as sixth witnessCourt temporarily releases Mahdzir from the standSaidi told me he was in the same team as Rosmah, others - ex-ministerMahdzir disagrees solar project important for Permata's online programmeDefence claims Mahdzir hired lawyer to broker deal with MACCThank you for following Malaysiakini's live report3.30pm - Thank you for following our live report today
Proceedings adjourn for the day2pm - The trial is adjourned for the day, and scheduled to resume on Monday morning. 1.40pm - Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi enters the courtroom and greets Rosmah Mansor before taking a seat behind her at the public gallery
Jepak's business partner used Najib's name - ex-Education Ministry sec-gen1.10pm - Besides Rizal Mansor, former secretary-general for Education Ministry, Madinah Mansor says she was also bugged by "Rayyan" over the solar hybrid project after her encounter with Rosmah in 2016
She is referring to Rayyan Radzwill Abdullah, who is a business partner to Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin
According to Madinah, she did not know Rayyan prior to this and initially thought he was only a runner for Jepak
The man started contacting her, mainly through WhatsApp messages, around the same time Rizal Mansor started communicating her about the project
She says Rayyan also kept asking her about the solar hybrid contract and had questioned her why there was a delay in forwarding Jepak's proposal to the Finance Ministry for approval
Rayyan was also in the know that the Education Ministry has the authority to award the contract directly to Jepak through direct negotiation
"Rayyan had also used the prime minister's name to push me to expedite the process to take the application for direct negotiation to the Finance Ministry with text messages like: 'just say you want the project', 'boss will take it up from there' and the 'boss would know what to do'
"I know that the 'boss' that Rayyan mentioned was Datuk Seri Najib Razak because Rayyan always uses the name PM and boss interchangeably"
Rosmah's aide kept asking for updates on solar project, says Madinah1pm - Former Education Ministry secretary-general Madinah Mohamad says that after her encounter with Rosmah Mansor sometime before June 2016, Rosmah's then aide Rizal Mansor (photo, below) started contacting her to discuss the solar hybrid project
She testifies that Rizal had contacted her either through WhatsApp messages or phone calls
However, according to Madinah, she had never given her contact number to Rosmah's aide, but it was no surprise to her that Rizal could get it due to his position in the Prime Minister's Department and role as Rosmah's assistant
She claims that Rizal also mentioned Rosmah's name in their communications, including when he was asking for progress updates on the project's approval
"For example, Datuk Rizal would tell me 'mem' is asking about the 'progress' of the solar hybrid project now, before asking for my help to bring up the application to the Finance Ministry because he was always being asked about it by 'mem'," says Madinah
The witness says that she understood that the 'mem' mentioned by Rizal referred to Rosmah
Madinah claims Rosmah told her to 'expedite' solar project12.50pm - Former Education Ministry secretary-general Madinah Mohamad tells the court about an incident in 2016 where Rosmah Mansor had shown her interest in the solar hybrid project
According to Madinah, the incident happened after the conclusion of a Permata programme held in Putrajaya she was asked to approach Rosmah's car
The witness says that Rosmah had then told her to "have a look at the Jepak solar project" and to "expedite" it
According to Madinah, she did not remember specifically what was the programme when the incident occurred but is sure that it had happened before June 2016
12.40pm - Lead DPP Gopal Sri Ram enters the courtroom. It is understood that he had just came from the Federal Court in Putrajaya where he was attending to another case
I called for a technical meeting without Jepak's rep, says Madinah12.30pm - Former education ministry secretary-general Madinah Mohamad testifies that she had in April 2016 ordered for a technical meeting to discuss the solar project to be conducted without any representative from Jepak Holdings
According to her testimony, Madinah issued the order through a minute dated April 6, 2016, where she called for a technical committee comprising members from the ministry, Public Works Department and other related agencies to convene
This came after agencies related to the proposed project had stressed to the Education Ministry that it should exercise caution in handling the solar hybrid project
"I issued the order because I needed further input on technical agencies on the potential of the solar hybrid project
"I prevented Jepak from being part of the meeting so that the agencies could give their opinion freely without any influence by the company," she says
'Education Ministry had to consider Jepak's proposal due to Najib's order'12.10pm - Former Education Ministry secretary-general Madinah Mohamad, testifies that Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd had never provided the ministry with breakdowns for how the RM1.25 billion would be utilised in carrying out the solar hybrid project
She tells the court that the ministry had to consider Jepak's proposal in 2016 only because they have received approval and order from then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak
The order came in the form of a minute by Najib on Jepak's letter dated Nov 23, 2015
Prosecution calls former Education Ministry sec-gen as sixth witness11.33am - The hearing resumes, with the prosecution calling their sixth witness, former Education Ministry secretary-general Madinah Mohamad (photo, below)
The defence team finishes their cross-examination on former Education minister Mahdzir Khalid
Court temporarily releases Mahdzir from the stand11.10am - DPP Akram Gharib then informs the court that the prosecution would have several questions for re-examination for today, and that lead DPP Gopal Sri Ram, who is attending to another case at the Federal Court, wishes to conduct the re-examination next week
Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan then allows this
After Akram asks Mahdzir to clarify a few things about a letter by his law firm to the Attorney-general in 2018, the witness is released temporarily and told by the judge not to discuss his testimony with others
The court then goes for a short break
Saidi told me he was in the same team as Rosmah, others - ex-minister11.05pm - Former education minister Mahdzir Khalid testifies that it was Jepak Holdings managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin who told him about the "Team Saidi", referring to his previous testimony implicating that Saidi, Rosmah Mansor, Rosmah's former aide Rizal Mansor, Saidi's partner Rayyan Radzwill Abdullah and Pekan Umno secretary Aazmey Abu Talib were together in the scheme to secure the RM1.25 billion solar hybrid project
Mahdzir says this when defence counsel Azrul Stork suggested to him that "Team Saidi" was only his assumption
The witness, however, agrees with Azrul that he had never checked with the other names mentioned whether what Saidi claimed about them being on the same team was true or otherwise
The lawyer then suggests to him that since he never checked with Rosmah, Rizal, Rayyan and Aazmey on the "Team Saidi" claim, his understanding of it could be wrong
Azrul: You did not check. So if this assumption was wrong, then you are wrong
Mahdzir: Yes. If it's wrong then I am wrong (about Team Saidi)
Mahdzir disagrees solar project important for Permata's online programme11am - Defence lawyer Azrul Stork asks former education minister Mahdzir Khalid about Permata Foundation, where Rosmah Mansor was the patron
The witness agrees that Permata programmes also covered schools in Sabah and Sarawak
However, he disagrees with Azrul's suggestion that the solar hybrid project for schools in Sarawak was crucial to provide electricity to schools in Sarawak so that Permata online programmes can reach there
Mahdzir says that the schools intended to receive the solar hybrid system already has electric supply by the use of diesel generators
Azrul then asks Mahdzir if he has ever asked Rosmah about her concerns on the solar project, suggesting to the witness that Rosmah wanted to help the project solely for the interests of Permata programmes
Mahdzir says that he had never asked Rosmah this
Defence claims Mahdzir hired lawyer to broker deal with MACC10.30am - The start of today's proceedings sees Rosmah Mansor's defence team confronting former education minister Mahdzir Khalld on his earlier testimony, where he denies having engaged a lawyer called Datuk Vignesh to broker a deal with the MACC
Mahdzir says that while he had engaged the lawyer in regards with MACC investigation on him in 2018, it was not to broker a deal with the authorities
Defence lawyer Jagjit Singh then produces a letter from the law firm address to the attorney-general
The letter dated Nov 27, 2018, says that the firm represents Mahdzir and was instructed to write to the AG's office in regards to the investigation into the sollar hybrid case
It adds later that their client, referring to Mahdzir, was willing to testify "against the prime mover of the scheme"
Jagjit then asks Mahdzir who he meant with the prime mover, but the witness says that he could not answer that
Mahdzir, however, disagrees that the prime mover was either Rosmah's aide Rizal Mansor or Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin
9.58am - Wife of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, Rosmah Mansor, enters the accused dock inside the courtroom as hearing is about to start before Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan
The corruption trial against the wife of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, Rosmah Mansor, continues for its sixth day today after an abrupt end before lunch break yesterday as her lawyer requested for early adjournment, citing her health issues as a reason
It is expected that former education minister Mahdzir Khalid (photo) would continue to give his testimony as fifth prosecution witness today, as Rosmah's defence team has yet to finish their cross-examination on him
Mahdzir had started testifying since Day 2 of the trial last Thursday
Yesterday, the proceeding saw Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan chiding defence lawyer Jagjit Singh for putting similar questions to the witness
The hearing yesterday also saw Mahdzir being pressed by the defence, who suggested that he was corrupt and his testimony against Rosmah was to deflect from being charged in court himself
The politician has denied all the accusations
He also disagreed with the suggestion that it was him who made the decision to award the RM1.25 billion solar hybrid project to Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd and that he tried to make Najib as the scapegoat by blaming the latter
Rosmah is facing three charges in relation to the project
She was first charged on Nov 15, 2018, with two counts of soliciting RM187.5 million and receiving RM1.5 million for projects to provide solar energy to rural schools in Sarawak
On the first count, she was charged with dishonestly soliciting for herself, made through her former special officer Rizal Mansor, a gratification, to the amount of RM187,500,000, which is 15 percent of the value of the contract for the solar project, from Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin
It was as an inducement to help the company (Jepak Holdings) to secure the Hybrid Photovoltaic Solar System Integrated Project and Maintenance and Operation of Genset/Diesel for 369 rural schools in Sarawak, worth RM1.25 billion through direct negotiation from the Education Ministry
On the second count, Rosmah was charged with dishonestly receiving for herself RM1,500,000 from Saidi for the same purpose at ‪No 11, Jalan‬ ‪Langgak‬ ‪Duta,‬ ‪Taman‬ ‪Duta‬, Kuala Lumpur on Sept 7, 2017
She was charged under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act and faces imprisonment for up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the gratification of RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction
On April 10, 2019, Rosmah was charged again in the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur with accepting gratification of RM5 million from Saidi through Rizal for helping Jepak Holdings to secure the same project at the same place in Jalan Langgak Duta. - Mkini

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