MOE officers harassed, threatened by Rayyan, says former sec-gen

ROSMAH TRIAL | A businessperson connected to Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd had gone to the extent of harassing Education Ministry (MOE) officers and threatening them to work on the RM1.25 billion solar hybrid project proposed by the company, the Kuala Lumpur High Court heard today.

During the corruption trial against the wife of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, Rosmah Mansor, which has entered its ninth day, former MOE secretary-general Madinah Mohamad (photo) testified that she had to meet the businessperson identified as “Rayyan” because of this harassment.

"When I was serving as the MOE secretary-general, I received complaints through my special officer that a man named Rayyan had been harassing my officers at the Acquisition and Development Division.

"This Rayyan was said to have been speaking rudely and threatened the officers that if they do not speed up the work, he would complain to the prime minister.

"He also demanded to meet the secretary-general. So my officers asked for my help to meet this Rayyan as they could not tolerate him anymore," Madinah testified under cross-examination by defence counsel Akberdin Abdul Kader.

The person that Madinah was referring to is Rayyan Radzwill Abdullah, who was a business partner of Jepak managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin.

She, however, did not mention the time frame when the harassment incidents happened. It is believed this could be in 2016, prior to Madinah's retirement on Sept 2 that year.

It had been established during earlier parts of the proceeding that Rayyan was among the individuals who had played a part in securing the government project, aimed at providing the solar hybrid system to power 369 schools in rural and remote areas of Sarawak.

Akberdin was asking Madinah on why she, as a senior government official, had entertained someone like Rayyan who had been dropping Najib's name.

According to the witness, she, however, did not check with the Prime Minister's Office regarding Rayyan.

Madinah said this was because around the time she heard about Rayyan from MOE officers, she had also been contacted by Rosmah's aide Rizal Mansor on the same matter.

Since both of them provided complementing information to Madinah, this further affirmed her belief that Rizal and Rayyan were indeed in touch with Najib and Rosmah.

Rosmah is facing three corruption charges in relation to the project, where she had allegedly solicited for bribes and received money as an inducement to help Jepak secure the government contract in 2016.

She had pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court in November 2018 to soliciting RM187.5 million through Rizal, and for receiving an RM1.5 million bribe in relation to the project.

Rosmah had also been accused of receiving RM5 million from Saidi via Rizal. - Mkini