KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — The defence in Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s bribe-for-contract trial today pressed former education minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid to not “play dumb” about his supposed complicit role in awarding a RM1.25 billion solar hybrid schools project to Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd.
Rosmah’s lawyer Datuk Jagjit Singh accused Mahdzir of “inconsistent behaviour” during cross-examination, when the former minister had brought a letter to the attention of then-prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, seeking to expedite payments of some RM92 million to Jepak for interim work purportedly done on the solar hybrid project.
This, however, Jagjit pointed out, was inconsistent with Mahdzir’s prior testimonies that he had abided by rules and regulations, and had not interfered with due diligence in contractual matters under the Education Ministry, especially in awarding the solar hybrid project to Jepak.
Jagjit: So, you said you cannot help Saidi with the financial procedure, but you had brought a letter to the prime minister. I say this is inconsistent conduct, do you agree?
Mahdzir: I don’t agree.
Jagjit: But you had gone to the prime minister, to get his approval to help Jepak?
Mahdzir: I don’t agree. This is an Education Ministry project but I don’t agree to help Jepak.
Jagjit: I put it to you that you are giving contradictory evidence to the court.
Mahdzir: I don’t agree.
The letter in question, dated July 19, 2017, was signed by Mahdzir, seeking Najib’s approval in his capacity as the finance minister to give a special exemption to Jepak to bypass the due diligence required under the Finance Ministry to release the RM92 million.
Jepak was seeking payment for work done for the solar hybrid project from January to April 2017, months before it had signed an official contract with the Education Ministry on June 21, 2017. The Letter of Award (LOA) was conferred on Jepak on November 10, 2016.
Yesterday, Jagjit accused Mahdzir of being the corrupt one in awarding the RM1.25 billion solar hybrid schools project to Jepak executive Saidi Abang Samsudin and his business partner Rayyan Radzwill Abdullah.
Jagjit also accused Mahdzir of “fabricating evidence” and cooperating with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) as a means to avoid being prosecuted himself, which Mahdzir denied repeatedly.
Mahdzir is testifying as the fifth prosecution witness in Rosmah’s corruption trial, over her alleged seeking of RM187.5 million in bribes and taking bribes totalling RM6.5 million from Saidi in exchange for helping Jepak secure the RM1.25 billion project.
