ROSMAH MANSOR TRIAL | A High Court in Kuala Lumpur was told that the controversial First Lady of Malaysia (FLOM) division was established merely on verbal instruction.
Prime Minister's Office (PMO) officer Huzairi Zainal Abidin who testified in the RM6.5 million solar hybrid project graft trial, said the divisions of PMO were restructured after Najib Razak assume office as prime minister in 2009.
Huzairi said he was instructed by Ab Aziz Kassim, the then principal private secretary to Najib, to establish a new division to handle the premier's affairs that involved Rosmah Mansor.
"As far as I could remember, there was also an instruction to name the new division as First Lady of Malaysia division. But I could not remember who had given such instruction," testified Husairi.
"There was no document to show the setting up of the FLOM division because its establishment was based on verbal instruction and involved the internal usage of PMO only," added Huzairi.
The manpower of FLOM then increased to five officers including Najib's ex-special officer Rizal Mansor, from initially one officer, said the 42-year-old.
"Beside officers, supporting staffs were also hired to do the clerical works but I could not remember how many of them," added Huzairi.
He said there was no specific budget allocated to carry out activities but its staffs were eligible to claim for transportation and overtime if they need to attend and organise events as instructed.
"The staffs and officers of this division were paid under PMO's (budget)," he said.
FLOM was included in the directory of PMO website, added Huzairi.
He said FLOM was criticised following that as the members of public perceived a new office had been set up for Rosmah when she had no official position in the government.
"Moreover, the usage of FLOM become an issue as that FLOM was seen as the title addressing the Permaisuri Agong," added Huzairi.
He said FLOM was later renamed "special division".
Huzairi, who is also the director of Secretariat and Services Management Division in PMO, was called as the first witness to establish the role of Rosmah.
In his opening remark today, lead prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram said Rosmah was influential despite she had no official position in the government.
Sri Ram said Rosmah had placed herself in a position where she was able to influence decisions in the public sector herself in a position.
Elaborating further, Huzairi said the wives of former premiers and even Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali only given one private secretary.
He said the role of the private secretary is to coordinate the programme of premiers that needed to be attended by their wives.
"Before that, there was no FLOM in the PMO," added Huzairi.
When grilled by defence counsel Jagjit Singh (above) and Azrul Zulkifli Storke, Huzairi admitted the PMO renamed FLOM to avoid negative political perception following criticism by the opposition parties.
In 2011, the then de facto law minister Nazri Abdul Aziz said FLOM was not an official title but it was a legitimate one.
Rosmah is facing three counts of corruption involving hundreds of millions of ringgit.
On Nov 15, 2018, Rosmah pleaded not guilty to two counts of soliciting RM187.5 million and receiving RM1.5 million for projects to provide solar energy to rural schools in Sarawak.
A total of 22 witnesses will be called by the prosecution. - Mkini
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