Former Malaysian Prime Minister’s wife faces $$multi-million bribery trial

Feb 07, 2020 News

Datuk Seri Najib, who served as Prime Minister for Malaysia from 2009 to 2018, was asked by the presiding Judge to leave the courtroom where his wife, 68-year-old Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor is on trial for charges of grafts and soliciting millions of dollars in bribes. This has been touted as one of the most highly anticipated criminal case. Graft is a form of political corruption being the unscrupulous use of a politician’s authority for personal gain.

Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor (photo credit: www.dailyexpress.com)

When the trial continued yesterday, the Judge asked the former Prime Minister to leave the courtroom.
The previous day, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib raised objections, to the former Prime Minister’s presence in court, saying it should not be allowed as he was a potential witness for his wife’s trial. The Deputy Public Prosecutor had told the court that Najib’s statement had been taken during the investigation for the case.
The woman’s lawyer, Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader, however, pointed out that his client’s husband was present in court on Wednesday and pointed out that he was just doing what “every good husband” would do. The High Court Judge in responding said he might have overlooked his presence and asked the former Malaysian leader to exit the courtroom. Thereafter, the fourth witness in the trial took to the stand.
If convicted, his wife faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment; she could be fined no less than five times the amount of the gratification or RM10,000 which is equivalent to US$2,425.65. The offences against her date back to 2016. According to a report from The Star, a Malaysian media outfit, Rosmah is accused of soliciting for herself a RM187.5mil (US$45.5M) bribe from Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin, through her former aide Datuk Rizal Mansor.
It is being alleged that she committed the offence between January and April 2016 at Lygon Cafe, Sunway Putra Mall in Jalan Putra.
“The money was allegedly a reward for helping Jepak Holdings obtain a project, through direct negotiations with the Education Ministry, to install solar hybrid systems and for the maintenance and operation of diesel generators for 369 rural schools in the [Malaysian State] Sarawak.
The project, known as ‘Project Bersepadu Sistem Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Hibrid’, was valued at RM1.25bil (US$303.2M). RM187.5mil is 15% of that amount,” The Star reported yesterday.
The Star has reported that in the second charge she is accused of receiving RM1.5mil which is equivalent to US$363,848.25 from Saidi as a reward for assisting Jepak Holdings obtain the same project. This offence, according to The Star, was allegedly committed at her house in Jalan Langgak Duta, Taman Duta, on September 7, 2017.
She is alleged to have committed another offence on April 10, 2019, when she received a bribe of RM5mil (US$1.2M) from Saidi through Rizal, for the same purpose.
The Star reports that the former Prime Minister’s wife is alleged to have committed this offence on December 20, 2016 at Seri Perdana Residence, Persiaran Seri Perdana, Precinct 10, Putrajaya.
From reports, the charges were instituted under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009.