KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — Datin Seri Rosmah allegedly received RM6.5 million in two tranches from Jepak Holding Sdn Bhd managing director Said Abang Samsudin to help him win a solar hybrid project from the government, Datuk Rizal Mansor told the High Court today.
He said this included a RM5 million cash payment that he sent personally to Rosmah at Seri Perdana, the prime minister’s official residence in Putrajaya, around December 2016.
Rosmah is the wife of Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who was the prime minister at the time.
Rizal testified that he was accompanied then by his driver and a friend, Datuk Ahmed Farriq Zainul Abidin.
“As soon as we arrived at the Seri Perdana Complex, I instructed Datin Seri Rosmah’s two butlers to carry both luggage bags that contained RM5 million in cash from my car to the inside of Datin Seri Rosmah’s house. Afterwards, I entered the house, while Datuk Farriq and my driver only waited in the car.
“I then met with Datin Seri Rosmah who was with the two luggage (bags). She then asked me ‘how much?’ and I said ‘five’ meaning RM5 million. Datin Sri Rosmah did not open the two luggage and instructed her butler to send the bags to her room. I then left,’’ he said.
Rizal also testified that on the same day, Saidi and the latter’s business partner, Rayyan Radzwill Abdullah, had visited his home to give him RM500,000 for his role in the arrangement.
He added that Saidi also informed him in a later meeting in 2017 that the latter gave another RM1.5 million to Rosmah when he visited her at her private residence in Jalan Langgak Duta.
Previously, Saidi told the same trial that he and Rayyan brought and left two bags containing the RM1.5 million at Rosmah’s Langgak Duta mansion on September 7, 2017.
In this trial, Rosmah is accused of soliciting RM187.5 million in bribes from Saidi, of accepting a RM1.5 million bribe directly from him and a separate RM5 million bribe via Rizal, in exchange for helping Jepak Holdings win a RM1.25 billion solar energy project from the Education Ministry.
Rizal was previously charged with allegedly helping Rosmah ask for a RM187.5 million bribe from Saidi and for allegedly seeking a smaller sum of RM25 million for himself, and also with allegedly receiving a RM5 million bribe from Saidi on behalf of Rosmah and for allegedly receiving a RM500,000 bribe from Saidi for himself.
Rizal had been scheduled to be jointly tried with Rosmah, but the prosecution withdrew the charges against him in January, before the start of the trial.
