The corruption trial of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's wife, Rosmah Mansor, involving alleged misappropriation of funds for the supply and installation of solar energy at 369 rural schools in Sarawak continues today at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysiakini brings you live reports of the proceedings.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Lawyer: Mahdzir didn't discuss with cabinet because he was corrupt
- Defence, Mahdzir have lengthy exchanges over 'following instructions'
- Mahdzir is implicating Rosmah to absolve himself, alleges defence lawyer
- Defence wants Mahdzir to bring details of company that owns his house
- Rosmah’s lawyer says Mahdzir was ‘a corrupt minister'
- Lawyer suggests Mahdzir agreed to project in exchange for RM60m
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2.30pm - Thank you for following our live report today.
2pm - The proceeding is adjourned for the day, and will resume tomorrow morning.
Lawyer: Mahdzir didn't discuss with cabinet because he was corrupt
1.30pm - Lead defence counsel Jagjit Singh once again accuses prosecution witness Mahdzir Khalid, who is a former education minister, of being corrupt.
At this juncture, he asks Mahdzir if he had ever taken the hybrid solar project matter to the cabinet for discussion, as the then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak still wanted him to issue a Letter of Award to Jepak Holdings.
The court heard earlier that Mahdzir was against this, but testified that he did it anyway because of Najib's minute ordering him to do so in November 2016.
Mahdzir then replies in the negative, saying that there was no need to bring the matter to the cabinet.
Hearing this, Jagjit then suggests to Mahdzir that he did not do so because he was embarrassed to bring such a matter to the cabinet.
Jagjit: When you told the Prime Minister, and the PM minuted to you like that, did you as a minister brought this matter to the cabinet?
Mahdzir: No I did not. There was no need to bring it to the cabinet.
Jagjit: Did you or did you not bring it to the cabinet?
Mahdzir: No, I did not.
Jagjit: You said there was no need to, because you had taken a bribe. That was why there was no need to do that. You will be embarrassed if you take this to the cabinet.
Mahdzir: I disagree.
Defence, Mahdzir have lengthy exchanges over 'following instructions'
1.20pm - The proceeding sees lead defence counsel Jagjit Singh and prosecution witness Mahdzir Khalid having lengthy exchanges over the latter's testimony, with Mahdzir saying he was only following orders from the then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak when he issued a Letter of Award to Jepak Holdings in 2016.
This comes as Jagjit gives a series of put questions to Mahdzir around the issue of whether the former education minister should effect the order he received from Najib without following existing government rules and procedures.
As Mahdzir keeps answering that he was only "following orders", Jagjit continues to press him over the procedural requirement.
Jagjit: Although he (Najib) has the right to issue the letter, his rights is subjected to rules.
Mahdzir: PM gave me the order.
Jagjit: And we must follow both order and the rules?
Mahdzir: We just follow the PM's order.
Jagjit: (Follow order) and also must follow procedures and rules. Do you agree or disagree?
Mahdzir: This letter is an order.
The exchanges continue for about 10 minutes, with another defence counsel Akberdin Abdul Kader (above) also having to interfere and attempt to clarify Jagjit's question to Mahdzir.
Akberdin tells Mahdzir that while orders need to be followed, there are also rules like the Treasury circulars that must be abided to in the process.
Mahdzir then agrees to this.
Mahdzir is implicating Rosmah to absolve himself, alleges defence lawyer
1pm - Defence lawyer Jagjit Singh accuses former education minister Mahdzir Khalid of making up stories when he implicated Rosmah Mansor in his testimony in the hybrid solar corruption trial.
The defence counsel makes the suggestion while cross-examining Mahdzir, telling the politician that he was actually trying to deflect from being held responsible.
Mahdzir, however, denies the allegation.
Jagjit: I put it to you that you implicated Datin Seri Rosmah's name in order to deflect (the matter).
Mahdzir: I disagree.
Jagjit: I put it to you that you attempt to deflect the allegation against you, and you implicated Datin Seri Rosmah as mentioned in your evidence in Paragraph 91 (of your witness statement)
Mahdzir: I disagree.
In his witness statement, Mahdzir alleged that he was pressured into issuing a Letter of Award for the project to Jepak Holdings by "Team Saidi", referring to Jepak managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin.
He named Rosmah as among those in the team. The others he named were Rosmah's aide Rizal Mansor, and Pekan Umno division secretary Aazmey Abu Talib.
11.45am - Hearing resumes after short break.
11.20am - The court takes a short break.
Defence wants Mahdzir to bring details of company that owns his house
10.50am - Rosmah Mansor's lawyer Jagjit Singh (below) asks former education minister Mahdzir Khalid, who is testifying against his client, to bring details on his house ownership to court tomorrow.
This comes as Mahdzir says that he does not remember the name of the company.
It is understood that a house used by Mahdzir in Country Height is registered to a company.
Jagjit also asks the politician to bring the details of the company, including its shareholders and directors.
Rosmah’s lawyer says Mahdzir was ‘a corrupt minister'
10.45am - Rosmah Mansor's lawyer Jagjit Singh accuses former education minister Mahdzir Khalid of being a corrupt minister.
The defence counsel makes the accusation when he is cross-examining the former education minister, particularly on the latter's testimony implicating Rosmah in the hybrid solar project corruption.
Jagjit firstly asks Mahdzir why he did not check with Rosmah directly when the latter’s then aide Rizal Mansor said he was representing the accused in dealings related to the solar project.
Mahdzir says that he believed Rizal as the latter had represented to him that he (Rizal) was speaking on behalf of Rosmah.
Jagjit: There is no excuse (not to contact Rosmah directly).
Mahdzir: Rizal was the one who told me (that he was representing Rosmah).
Jagjit: That is only an excuse, Datuk Seri. You are a corrupt minister. You asked for millions of ringgit...
Mahdzir: I disagree.
Lawyer suggests Mahdzir agreed to project in exchange for RM60m
10.20am - The cross-examination on former education minister Mahdzir Khalid resumes with defence lawyer Jagjit Singh pressing the politician with questions, where he suggested that Mahdzir was corrupt.
Among the claims Jagjit makes is that Mahdzir had allegedly agreed to award Jepak Holdings the project to supply hybrid solar system to 369 schools in Sarawak in exchange for kickbacks totalling RM60 million.
He put it to Mahdzir that the latter had purportedly minuted his agreement to the project after Jepak Holdings managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin agreed to pay Mahdzir RM1 million a month for five years.
Mahdzir, however, denies all the accusations put forward by Jagjit.
10.10am - The proceeding begins with former education minister Mahdzir Khalid taking his oath and ready to be cross-examined by defence lawyer Jagjit Singh.
10am - Wife of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, Rosmah Mansor enters the accused dock while waiting for the trial to begin.
Also seen in the courtroom is former education minister Mahdzir Khalid, who is set to continue giving his testimony as a prosecution witness.
The corruption trial against Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, is expected to continue for its fourth day today with her defence lawyers resuming their cross-examination on former education minister Mahdzir Khalid (below).
Mahdzir, who is testifying as the fifth prosecution witness, has been giving his testimony against Rosmah since the second day of the hearing on Thursday.
He has since made several explosive revelations on how the contract to supply hybrid solar system to 369 schools in Sarawak, worth RM1.25 billion, had ended up in the hands of Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd which had no prior experience in the business of solar power system.
During yesterday's proceedings, Mahdzir testified in court that he had complained to Najib in 2016 of the behaviour of two individuals linked to Jepak who were lobbying for the project, where they had humiliated him but Najib only kept silent.
The court also heard from Rosmah's lawyer Jagjit Singh suggesting that Mahdzir had allegedly received RM50,000 from Jepak Holdings' managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin in 2015, but this was denied by the witness.
Jagjit later also claimed that Pekan Umno division secretary Ahmad Aazmey Abu Talib had received some RM1.5 million from Saidi for helping the company to get the contract.
The lawyer said this when he was putting a question to Mahdzir, asking him if he had any knowledge of the alleged payment.
Mahdzir, while he agreed that Jepak had gotten the project with Aazmey's assistance, told the court that he has no knowledge about the alleged money paid by Saidi to Aazmey. - Mkini
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