Charged in November 2018, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor faces one count of soliciting RM187.5 million and another two of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5 million from Jepak Holdings’ former managing director, Saidi Abang Samsudin. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 — After a protracted trial lasting over two years, the High Court is finally set to deliver its findings today in Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s corruption case involving an RM1.25 billion solar hybrid energy project for rural schools in Sarawak.
Charged in November 2018, Rosmah faces one count of soliciting RM187.5 million and another two of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5 million from Jepak Holdings’ former managing director, Saidi Abang Samsudin.
Yet it was not until February 2020 that Rosmah’s highly-anticipated bribery-for-contract trial formally began, with lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram describing the 70-year-old as an “overbearing” person and her conduct in the alleged corruption scandal.
In their opening statement, the prosecution portrayed Rosmah’s domineering nature as having allowed her to influence decisions in the public sector, with direct and circumstantial evidence presented to show she solicited a bribe and received gratification as alleged in the charges against her.
After 42 days of hearing, trial judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan then ordered Rosmah to enter her defence in February 2021, after concluding that the prosecution successfully established prima facie.
The defence rested its case in February 2022, a year after she was called to take the stand.
All in, the prosecution called 23 witnesses and the defence called two including Rosmah.
11th hour bid to recuse trial judge
In an unexpected twist, however, Rosmah made an 11th-hour bid to recuse Mohamad Zaini from hearing or making any decision or order related to her bribery trial, as well as any related proceedings or applications.
The application was filed on August 30, just two days before today’s decision.
In her application to remove Mohamed Zaini, Rosmah cited an August 26 article that appeared on the Malaysia Today website associated with fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, which claimed the written judgment was prepared beforehand by persons unknown for the trial judge to deliver.
Rosmah alleged that the article has made her lose confidence in Mohamed Zaini as the presiding judge in the case and the impartiality of today’s decision.
She also referred to a 71-page document published August 26 on Malaysia Today that purported to be a leak of the written judgment.
She said this made her doubt Mohamed Zaini’s integrity and ability to judge fairly without influence from a third party.
While Malaysia Today claimed the 71-page document to be the written judgment, the document itself stated that it was prepared by the judiciary’s research unit to provide notes on the case to Mohamed Zaini.
Court officials have since lodged a formal complaint, and police have confirmed that the …….