Rosmah has rebutted prosecution’s case despite Najib’s absence, says defence

 

There is overwhelming evidence to raise a reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s case against Rosmah Mansor, her lawyers say. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Rosmah Mansor has successfully rebutted the prosecution’s case in her corruption trial although she did not put her husband, Najib Razak, on the stand as a defence witness, her lawyers said.

In a written submission to the High Court, the defence said it decided to restrategise its case after discussing the merits of calling Najib.

“We elected not to call him as a defence witness because his evidence is merely corroborative in nature,” the defence said, adding that it was its prerogative whether to call Najib or not.

The lawyers said there was overwhelming evidence from prosecution witnesses that supported Rosmah’s defence, and evidence from defence witnesses to raise a reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s case.

Ad hoc prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram had said on Jan 10 that the prosecution was not drawing any adverse inference from the refusal of the defence to include Najib as a witness.

Najib was one of the 10 prosecution witnesses offered to the defence when Rosmah was ordered to enter her defence on Feb 18 last year on charges linked to the Sarawak schools’ solar panel energy project.

The prosecution, in its submission filed early last month, said one consequence of Rosmah’s failure to call Najib as a witness “is that all the evidence that she gave of what Najib told her is pure hearsay and inadmissible as evidence”.

“The accused’s decision not to call him (Najib) leaves a serious gap in the defence case,” the prosecution said.

Rosmah, 70, is accused of soliciting RM187.5 million from former Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin, through her former aide Rizal Mansor, as an inducement to help the company secure the solar project for rural schools in Sarawak.

She is also accused of receiving bribes amounting to RM5 million from Saidi, through Rizal, at Seri Perdana in Putrajaya on Dec 20, 2016.

Rosmah is said to have received another RM1.5 million from Saidi at Jalan Langgak Duta here on Sept 7, 2017.

The defence contended that Rosmah was entitled to an acquittal as each of the charges was not one of a bare denial but one with merit.

The prosecution had called 23 witnesses, and the defence two.

Trial judge Zaini Mazlan will hear oral submissions tomorrow. - FMT