Rosmah's final attempt to recuse Sri Ram as prosecutor to be heard on March 24

KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Court has fixed March 24 to hear Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor's final attempt to recuse Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram as the lead prosecutor in her solar hybrid project case, as well as to nullify the ongoing trial.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamad Mustafa P. Kunyalam told the press that the date was fixed before the Federal Court's deputy registrar Siti Hajar Mustaffa here on Friday (Jan 7).

"Submissions must be filed on March 3," he said when contacted.

Rosmah's lawyer Datuk Jagjit Singh appeared for Rosmah and Deputy Public Prosecutor Poh Yih Tinn represented the prosecution in the online proceedings via Zoom.

On Dec 6, a three-man bench of the Court of Appeal unanimously rejected Rosmah's appeal after allowing the prosecution's preliminary objection in Rosmah's recusal application.

The court ruled that it has no jurisdiction to grant the declarations sought by Rosmah.

Rosmah was appealing against the High Court's decision in dismissing her application to disqualify Sri Ram as the lead prosecutor in her corruption case and to annul the ongoing trial proceedings.

On Sept 24, Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan had dismissed her application on grounds that Sri Ram's appointment by then attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas was validly done under Section 376(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The judge also dismissed Rosmah's application for a stay of the trial pending the disposal of the appeal over the decision.

In the solar hybrid trial, Rosmah is accused of soliciting RM187.5mil and two counts of receiving bribes of RM6.5mil from Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd's former managing director Saidi Abang Samsuddin, through her former aide Datuk Rizal Mansor, between Jan 2016 and Sept 2017.

She purportedly received the money in exchange for helping the company obtain a RM1.25bil project to provide solar energy to 369 rural schools in Sarawak.