Rosmah trial: Mahdzir denies appointing lawyer to broker deal with MACC

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid (pic) rejected the defence's allegation that he appointed a lawyer to broker a deal with the prosecution to escape corruption charges during Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor's corruption trial at the High Court on Thursday (Feb 13).

The former education minister told the court that he instead engaged the services of a lawyer in relation to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) investigation of him in 2018.

The defence had previously claimed that Mahdzir appointed a "Datuk Vignesh" to strike a deal with the MACC and the prosecution to become a witness in exchange for avoiding being charged with corruption.

Defence counsel Datuk Jagjit Singh produced a letter dated Nov 27,2018, from law firm Messrs Vignesh Kumar and Associates that was addressed to the Attorney General.

The letter, shown in court, stated that Mahdzir was willing to "co-operate" with the authorities and to "testify against the prime mover of the scheme".

The letter also stated that the firm's client (Mahdzir) had given a statement to MACC on Oct 17,2018 in regards to investigations into the solar hybrid project contract.

Jagjit: I give it to you that this letter was given to the prosecution to broker a deal (to escape being charged)?

Mahdzir: I disagree.

Mahdzir then disagreed with the defence's suggestion that the "prime mover" referred to Rosmah's former aide Datuk Rizal Mansor or Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin.

The trial continues before High Court judge Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan on Monday (Feb 17).