Rosmah's corruption trial postponed after one of her lawyers gets Covid-19

KUALA LUMPUR: The corruption trial of Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor involving a solar hybrid project in Sarawak has been postponed to Feb 23 as one of her lawyers has been tested positive for Covid-19.

High Court judge Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said he was informed that Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader was stricken with Covid-19 on Feb 12.

The lawyer will be on a seven-day quarantine.

“It is unfortunate to hear that. I wish him well,” the judge said on Tuesday (Feb 15).

Two other lawyers in Rosmah’s defence team, Datuk Jagjit Singh and Azrul Zulkifli Stork, were close contacts as they were with Akberdin on Feb 10.

Tuesday was initially fixed for the last day hearing of the defence trial where witness Datuk Seri Siti Azizah Sheikh Abod, who was Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s special officer in charge of Rosmah’s daily programmes as the wife of the then prime minister, was supposed to take the stand.

Lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram told the court that an application has been filed for a key witness in the case, Jepak Holdings managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin, to be recalled to the stand.

Justice Mohamed Zaini then adjourned the proceedings for the day.

The trial will resume at 9am on Feb 23.

Rosmah is on trial for a charge of soliciting RM187.5mil and two counts of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5mil from Saidi, through her former aide Datuk Rizal Mansor, involving the RM1.25bil solar hybrid project in Sarawak.