In court, Rosmah says not her and Najib in ‘Can I advise you something?’ audio clip

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 — Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor has denied that the voices in the “Can I advise you something?” audio clips belong to her and her husband, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Testifying in her own defence at the High Court trial for corruption against charges related to the RM1.25 billion solar hybrid project in Sarawak, Rosmah said it could not be proven that she and her husband were the duo recorded.

She made the denial repeatedly during cross examination by lead deputy public prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram.

Sri Ram: Can you confirm the voices in the clip are that of yours and your husband?

Rosmah: I cannot confirm. There is no scientific evidence.

Sri Ram: Several witnesses gave evidence that the voices in the audio clips belong to you and your husband.

Rosmah: You believed that?

Sri Ram: You don’t question me. I question you and you answer me.

Rosmah: I am just thinking out loud.

Sri Ram: I'm not going to argue with you. Just answer, agree or disagree.

Rosmah: Please don't shout. I'm not used to people shouting at me.

Sri Ram: You were in court when witnesses gave evidence that the voices in the clips are yours and your husband?

Rosmah: Yes, I was present.

Sri Ram: You agree with me that you could have instructed your counsels to put it to (challenge) my witnesses that it was not your voice or your husband’s?

Rosmah: Your lordship, I disagree.

Sri Ram then requested the court to play snippets of the audio clips and asked Rosmah to identify whether the voices were of her and her husband, which she denied.

Sri Ram also asked Rosmah whether she had a say in her husband’s capacity as the prime minister to appoint individuals to public posts, which she also denied.

Sri Ram: I put it to you that you are distancing yourself from the contents of the tape because the tapes confirm that you were giving advice to your husband on public appointments, in fact asking him to make public appointments?

Rosmah: I disagree

Gopal: I put it to you that the contents of the tape are true?

Rosmah: No. Utterly rubbish.

Previously in court, former education minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid had identified the voices in the clip as that of Najib and Rosmah, when it was played in court to him.

Testifying previously as the fifth prosecution witness in Rosmah’s bribery trial, Mahdzir was asked to identify a male voice and a female voice that was heard in an excerpt of the audio clip which featured the phrase “Can I advise you something?”.

Judge decided against impeachment proceedings.

Earlier in the day, High Court Judge Mohd Zaini Mazlan decided not to initiate impeachment proceedings against Rosmah, saying there was no necessity at this time to show that she had lied in court.

Zaini ruled that there is no need to proceed as Rosmah had attempted to provide an explanation on the discrepancies however maintained that the prosecution is still entitled to question her on her answers.

“At the face of it, there seem to be contradictions between the initial statement made by the accused to the MACC and the answers in her witness statement.

“I noted however, the accused has attempted to explain the discrepancies in her witness statement. This can be found in paragraph 46 of her witness statement. I find that there is no necessity to embark on impeachment proceedings as the witness has attempted to explain the contradiction,” Zaini said.

Prior to the ruling, Sri Ram had quizzed Rosmah on her statement to the MACC in 2018 that she had never met with or known independent consultant Rayyan Radzwil Abdullah and Jepak Holding Managing Director Saidi Abang Samsudin.

However, based on her testimonies in court, Sri Ram pointed out to Rosmah that this contradicts her answer based on her witness statement that she had met with and known of the aforementioned individuals, which allegedly contradicts her previous statements to the MACC.