‘Rosmah made a scapegoat’

KUALA LUMPUR: Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor has been made the scapegoat despite the involvement of other parties in the purported graft involving a solar hybrid project for rural schools in Sarawak, the High Court heard.

Her lawyer Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader said there were incompetent parties in the government’s administration – particularly in the Education Ministry at that time – that conspired with Jepak Holdings, the company that Rosmah allegedly solicited bribes from.

The lawyer, who was giving his opening statement on the first day of the defence trial, said his client was merely the wife to the former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak with no executive powers in the government.

“It is very unreasonable and unfounded to link the accused to the three charges,” he said yesterday.

Akberdin said there were parties that “name-dropped” Rosmah’s name for their own political or personal interests.

He pointed his finger at Rosmah’s personal aide, Datuk Rizal Mansor, whom he claimed was the “mastermind” in the case.

“Rizal is the person behind this case, who solicited and received the monies mentioned in the charges,” Akberdin added.

He said Rizal, who was initially charged together with Rosmah but was later acquitted, had “cut a deal” with the prosecution whereby he became the crown witness that provided false testimony against his client to trap and implicate Rosmah on the three charges.

“This showed that the prosecution has mala fide (bad intention) against the accused even when the charges are baseless,” he added.

Rizal, who is the 21st prosecution witness, was initially charged with four counts of graft relating to the same solar hybrid project but was acquitted in January last year.

In the proceedings, Rosmah took the stand to read her witness statement as the first defence witness.

She hit back at Rizal, whom she claimed had slandered her in the trial.

Rosmah said Rizal was not her special officer as he had claimed in his testimony to the court.

According to Rosmah, her special officer was Datuk Seri Siti Azizah Sheikh Abod while Rizal was a media officer with the official designation of assistant officer with special functions.

“When he served at the FLOM division, he was a contract worker and not part of the permanent staff.

“He reported to Siti Azizah, not me,” said Rosmah, 66.

She described Rizal as “not a competent employee.”

“He could not do a good job writing my speech texts.

“He had disciplinary issues where he would go missing in action,” Rosmah said.

She added that she was often dissatisfied with Rizal’s work as he was like “pahat dengan penukul” (a chisel with a hammer, one who only works when told to) who needed to be supervised to complete his tasks.

Rosmah also refuted allegations that she ordered Rizal to establish a team of cybertroopers with RM100,000 in monthly funding.

Until today, Rizal has not substantiate his claims on the cybertrooper issue, Rosmah said.

“There is clearly a malicious agenda by Rizal to defame me after the charges against him were dropped by the prosecution,” she said.

Rosmah is facing one charge of soliciting RM187.5mil and two counts of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5mil from Jepak Holdings’ former managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin.

The bribes were allegedly received through Rizal as a reward for helping Jepak Holdings secure the Hybrid Photovoltaic Solar System Integrated Project as well as the maintenance and operation of diesel generator sets for 369 Sarawak rural schools worth RM1.25bil from the Education Ministry through direct negotiation.

The hearing continues before Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan today.