KUALA LUMPUR – The 21st Prosecution Witness (PW21) of the solar hybrid project corruption trial for 369 rural schools in Sarawak, Datuk Rizal Mansor, was merely a media officer and not the special aide to Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
During the defence proceeding, the wife of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak alleged that Rizal had abused the position for his personal gains.
While reading out her witness statement, Rosmah said that Rizal had been wrongfully name dropping to request money from certain individuals, including the former Managing Director of Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd, Saidi Abang Samsuddin.
“Through the statements from the witnesses, I found that PW21 had misused my name for his personal gains to the extend that individuals such as PW17 (Abang Samsudin) and PW16 (Rayyan Radzwill) believed in his words.
“I have never asked PW21 to meet any of these witnesses and requested an increment from 10 percent to 15 percent. PW21 had been using my name, self-proclaimed that he was my special aide when I never had a special aide.
“PW21 was only a contract media officer stationed at F.L.O.M (First Lady Of Malaysia) with an official position of Special Duties Assistant Officer.
“Witness PW16 himself suspected that the monies requested using my name was for himself (Rizal) and not for me. It is clear that PW21 had abused my name for his personal benefits.
“Your Honour, although PW21 was a civil servant, he lived a luxurious life that did not match his monthly salary,” Rosmah testified before High Court Judge, Mohamed Zaini Mazlan.
Rosmah has currently entered her defence on three counts of corruption charges involving RM1.25 billion of solar hybrid project in Sarawak rural schools awarded to Jepak Holdings via direct negotiation.
She is charged with instigating RM187.5 million and two charges of accepting RM6.5 million in bribery from former Managing Director of Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd, Saidi Abang Samsuddin through his former special officer, Datuk Rizal Mansor.
The money was allegedly received as gratification for helping Jepak Holdings to get the RM1.25 billion project via direct negotiation from the Ministry of Education.
She was charged for committing the offence at Lygon Cafe, Sunway Putra Mall, Jalan Putra, Kuala Lumpur between March and April 2016.
Rosmah was charged with accepting RM1.5 million from Saidi on the second count of charge, for the same purpose at her residence at Jalan Langgak Duta, Taman Duta on 7 September 2017.
She also faced the third count of charge of receiving RM5 million from Saidi through Rizal as a gratification for assisting Jepak Holdings in getting the project on 20 December 2016 at Seri Perdana, Putrajaya between January 2016 and September 2017. -MalaysiaGazette
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