Rizal a novice and servant of Rosmah, says prosecution in graft trial

 

The defence version that Rizal Mansor misappropriated the bribe money without Rosmah Mansor’s knowledge is hard to believe, says the prosecution.

KUALA LUMPUR: The defence version that a former aide of Rosmah Mansor is the one who solicited and accepted bribes from the managing director of a company must be disbelieved as he is a “political lightweight”, the prosecution said.

In its final submission, sighted by FMT, to rebut the defence version, it said Rizal Mansor was a novice compared with Rosmah with her powerful influence as the wife of the then prime minister, Najib Razak.

“Her conversations with PW5 (prosecution witness 5), PW6 and PW12 confirm her ability to exercise her influence and her inclination to use it,” it said in the submission prepared by the prosecution team, led by ad hoc prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram, filed in the High Court on Monday.

PW5 refers to then education minister Mahdzir Khalid, and PW6 and PW12 are Madinah Mohamed and Alias Ahmad, respectively, both secretaries-general of the ministry when the project was awarded to Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd.

Rosmah is accused of soliciting RM187.5 million from Jepak’s managing director, Saidi Abang Samsudin, through Rizal as an inducement to help the company secure the solar project for 369 rural schools in Sarawak, costing RM1.25 billion.

She is also charged with two counts of receiving bribes amounting to RM6.5 million – RM5 million from Saidi through Rizal at Seri Perdana in Putrajaya on Dec 20, 2016, and RM1.5 million from Saidi at her private residence at Langgak Duta here on Sept 7, 2017.

The prosecution said the defence kept on harping that Rizal solicited the money for himself and when the money was delivered, he appropriated it for his own use without the knowledge of Rosmah.

“This story need only be told to reveal its incredulity,” it said, adding that Rizal was virtually Rosmah’s servant, doing her bidding.

It said Rosmah had her own department within the Prime Minister’s Office and was called First Lady of Malaysia, while Rizal was a mere employee in that division.

“Rizal is a political lightweight compared with the accused with her powerful influence as the wife of the prime minister,” it said, adding that it was highly improbable that Rizal would have acted off his own bat without the accused’s knowledge.

It said Rizal would have faced dire consequences had he done so and the defence suggestion that he was the villain of the piece cannot hold water.

It said there was a monotonous repetition throughout the defence submission that there was evidence that Rosmah did not solicit any money from Saidi.

The prosecution’s answer is that the charge against Rosmah was not that she personally solicited the bribe but she did it through Rizal.

“The defence has therefore addressed the wrong target. There is the evidence from Rizal that the accused instructed him to solicit the bribe,” it said.

It said there was also strong circumstantial evidence through Rizal that Rosmah received the RM6.5 million in “cold cash” at the prime minister’s official and private residence.

Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan has fixed Feb 10 to seek clarification from the defence and prosecution before he decides whether Rosmah is entitled to an acquittal or will be called to enter her defence. - FMT