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
- Judge chides defence lawyer for repeating the same questions
- 'Najib wanted solar project to be monitored'
- Solar project - ex-minister denies claim that he's trying to deflect blame
- Defence counsel makes life or death vow during cross-examination
- Ministers would queue to meet Najib after cabinet meetings - witness
- Mahdzir disagrees solar project delay due to late payment of RM1m bribe
- Mahdzir: I couldn’t set up technical committee because of Najib
- Lawyer asks why Mahdzir didn't bring solar project issue to parliament and cabinet
- Mahdzir: Jepak Holdings' Saidi and Rayyan not my cronies
High Court allows proceedings to resume tomorrow morning
1.10pm - Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan allows the application for the trial to resume tomorrow by defence counsel Jagjit Singh during open proceedings.
Earlier, proceedings had adjourned for lunch before proceedings resume a few minutes ago for Jagjit to make the application.
Judge chides defence lawyer for repeating the same questions
12.45pm - Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan chides defence lawyer Jagjit Singh for repeating the same questions to former education minister Mahdzir Khalid.
This comes as Jagjit rehashed the same line of questioning on Mahdzir's motive for testifying against former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's wife Rosmah Mansor, who is the accused in the trial.
Jagjit had previously asked Mahdzir similar question, where he put to the witness to confirm that he gave the testimony in court so that he would not be charged in court for purported corruption charges.
Mahdzir has denied the allegation.
"I am asking you, why you keep repeating the same question?" says Zaini.
The judge then asks Jagjit how much more time he wants to take to cross-examine Mahdzir, to which the defence counsel says: "Not too long."
The court then breaks for lunch.
'Najib wanted solar project to be monitored'
12.20pm - Defence team produces evidence in the form of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's minute on a letter from Jepak Holdings.
The minute, as read by former education minister Mahdzir Khalid in court, says that the execution of the solar project by Jepak must be monitored by the Education Ministry.
Answering a question from defence counsel Jagjit Singh, the witness agrees that Najib's minute on the letter showed that while he wanted the project to be implemented, it should be done according to procedures.
However, Mahdzir disagrees to a suggestion by Jagjit that the letter of award issued by the Education Ministry in 2016 was not according to procedures as it was issued before a negotiation committee was set up by the ministry.
Solar project - ex-minister denies claim that he's trying to deflect blame
12.12pm - Mahdzir Khalid disagrees with the defence's contention that the former education minister wanted to make a black sheep (kambing hitam) out of then premier Najib Abdul Razak in the solar project corruption matter.
The prosecution witness makes this denial during cross-examination by defence counsel Akberdin Abdul Kader.
Akberdin is referring to Mahdzir's testimony where the witness at first avoided Jepak Holdings managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin in relation to the project then later agreeing to give the solar hybrid project to the company.
Akberdin: At first avoidance of Saidi, then you said have to follow procedure (to Saidi), then you claimed regulation was not followed (by Jepak in relation to the project), then you find a black sheep and deflect to the prime minister (Najib) to allege that he (Najib) gave the order.
Mahdzir: Disagree.
The witness also disagrees with defence counsel Jagjit Singh's contention that the former is deflecting responsibility to Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor over the whole matter.
11.31am - Proceedings resume after a brief break.
Defence counsel makes life or death vow during cross-examination
11.14am - Rosmah Mansor's defence counsel Jagjit Singh makes a life or death vow during a heated cross-examination of former education minister Mahdzir Khalid.
The temperature turns up when Jagjit accuses Mahdzir of inconsistency in his testimony for the prosecution in Rosmah's solar hybrid project corruption trial.
Jagjit: You are not consistent.
Mahdzir: From the very beginning, you wanted me to be like that.
Jagjit: Until death also I can continue to do this (cross-examination).
Mahdzir: Do not be like that.
After Mahdzir's final response, laughter erupts from the courtroom and even between the two men, diffusing the tension.
Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan then allows proceedings to go for a short break.
Ministers would queue to meet Najib after cabinet meetings - witness
11.05am - The court hears from a former minister that it was normal for cabinet members to wait for the then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak after cabinet meetings to seek instructions.
Mahdzir Khalid, who is a former education minister, says the ministers would queue up to meet Najib.
He testifies this when asked by the defence counsel if it was a common practice to meet Najib after cabinet meetings to ask him to minute his orders.
Jagjit: Can you confirm, is it normal practice to bring letters like this to the cabinet meeting, and then after the meeting, intercept the PM and ask him to put his order in minutes.
Mahdzir: Not only me, (there will be a) queue.
Jagjit: I am asking you, is it normal practice for you?
Mahdzir: It is normal practice, to bring letters to the PM.
Mahdzir disagrees solar project delay due to late payment of RM1m bribe
10.52am - Former education minister Mahdzir Khalid disagrees with the defence’s contention that the delay to the hybrid solar project in Sarawak was because he had yet to receive the alleged first bribe payment of RM1 million, the High Court hears.
The prosecution witness disagrees with defence counsel Jagjit Singh's assertion during cross-examination.
Jagjit is referring to Jepak Holdings' complaint to then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak over the delay in relation to the project involving 369 rural schools in Sarawak.
Jagjit: The complaint to the prime minister was that you were not doing your job.
Mahdzir: Disagree.
Mahdzir: I couldn’t set up technical committee because of Najib
10.35am - Former education minister Mahdzir Khalid agrees that the Letter of Award for the solar project was given to Jepak Holdings before the ministry could set up a technical committee to decide on the terms of the works to be carried out.
Answering a series of questions from defence counsel Jagjit Singh (above), Mahdzir says this was because then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak had ordered him to speed up the issuance of the letter.
"I agree that the committee should be set up before the issuance of the letter," says Mahdzir.
"But we did not have the chance to do it (before issuing the letter of award)," he adds.
Lawyer asks why Mahdzir didn't bring solar project issue to parliament and cabinet
10.30am - The court hears defence lawyer Jagjit Singh questioning former education minister Mahdzir Khalid over his testimony that he had doubts on Jepak Holdings' capability to carry out the solar hybrid system project for 369 schools in Sarawak.
The counsel asks Mahdzir whether he had taken the matter to be discussed in the cabinet.
To this, Mahdzir said there was no need to bring the matter to the cabinet as it was a project under the Education Ministry’s purview.
Jagjit then presses Mahdzir, suggesting that the latter did not escalate it to the cabinet or even the parliament because Mahdzir was taking bribes.
The politician disagrees with the suggestion.
Mahdzir: Jepak Holdings' Saidi and Rayyan not my cronies
10.20am - Former education minister Mahdzir Khalid disagrees with the defence's assertion that Jepak Holdings managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin and partner Rayyan Radzwill Abdullah were his cronies.
He makes this denial against the assertion by Rosmah Mansor's defence counsel Jagjit Singh during cross-examination.
Jagjit is referring to Mahdzir's testimony in regards to then-premier Najib Abdul Razak asking Mahdzir who was Rayyan.
Mahdzir then replies he told Najib that Rayyan was a partner to Saidi.
Jagjit: Why this is not in your (written witness) evidence? You just said Rayyan is a representative of Jepak, other than that, did you tell them that Rayyan was your crony?
Mahdzir: When were they (Saidi and Rayyan) my cronies? Disagree.
Jagjit: You collected money from them, hence cronies.
Mahdzir: Disagree.
10.07am - Accused Rosmah Mansor enters the dock as proceedings before High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan resumes.
9.53am - Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's wife, Rosmah Mansor (photo) enters the Kuala Lumpur High Court and takes a seat at the front row of the public gallery.
Also awaiting for proceedings in court are lead DPP Gopal Sri Ram and other DPPs, as well as her defence counsel Azrul Zulkifli Stork, Akberdin Abdul Kader, and other members of the defence team.
Former education minister Mahdzir Khalid is expected to continue giving his testimony as a witness in the corruption trial against Rosmah Mansor, who is facing three charges in relation to the RM1.25 billion project to supply hybrid solar system to 369 schools in Sarawak.
The hearing presided by Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan enters its fifth day today.
Today's proceedings will be a continuation of yesterday's cross-examination of the fifth prosecution witness by the defence.
Mahdzir, who started giving his testimony since the second day of the trial last week, had through his witness statement given the court blow-by-blow accounts on how the project landed in the hands of Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd with the alleged help of Rosmah, her aide Rizal Mansor, Rosmah's husband who was the then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, and Pekan Umno secretary Aazmey Abu Talib.
Serving as the minister in charge during the material time the contract was awarded to Jepak, Mahdzir testified that he had doubts with the company which he said was known to be involved in transport provider business with no experience in solar-powered electricity systems.
He told the court that the project had to be given to the company despite its inexperience, alleging that Rosmah and Najib were putting pressure on him.
Rosmah's defence lawyer Jagjit Singh, meanwhile, had been during the cross-examination which started on Monday threw accusations against the witness suggesting that he was a corrupt minister.
The counsel had on multiple times during his examination put to Mahdzir that the latter had approved the project on his own instead, in exchange for alleged kickbacks from Jepak Holdings.
Among the allegations put to the witness was that Mahdzir had an agreement with Jepak managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin for RM1 million to be paid monthly to Mahdzir for five years.
Jagjit also suggested to Mahdzir that he was lying when he implicated Rosmah in his testimony and that he did so to deflect the allegations from himself.
Mahdzir, however, had been constantly denied all the accusations made by the lawyer.
The witness also denied any knowledge of another allegation made by Jagjit, where the lawyer asked him if he knew that Rizal Mansor had asked Jepak for kickbacks of RM125 million to help secure the contract. - mkini
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