DATIN Seri Rosmah Mansor has been found guilty over her RM1.25 bil solar power corruption case.
According to news reports and journalists on the ground, Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said the prosecution has succeeded in proving the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Her defence, on the other hand, was “unsubstantiated bare denial” and “devoid of credible evidence”, Malaysiakini reported.
“I find the accused (Rosmah) guilty of all three charges,” Zaini ruled after reading an excerpt of his 100-page verdict.
In November 2018, Rosmah, the wife of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, was charged with one count of soliciting RM187.5 mil and two counts of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5 mil from Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin.
The bribes were allegedly received through her former aide Datuk Rizal Mansor as a reward for helping Jepak Holdings to secure the Hybrid Photovoltaic Solar System Integrated project as well as the maintenance and operation of diesel generator sets for 369 Sarawak rural schools worth RM1.25 bil from the Education Ministry through direct negotiations.
The former first lady faces up to 20 years in jail and a fine of up to five times the amount of each bribe she allegedly took.
On Feb 18, 2021, Rosmah was ordered to enter her defence on the three charges after the prosecution succeeded in proving a prima facie case against her.
“I won’t recuse myself”
Earlier, Zaini dismissed Rosmah’s 11th-hour bid to recuse himself over a purported leaked judgment in the case.
He said his judgment in the case had nothing to do with the reportedly leaked verdict – which was an opinion write-up by the court’s research unit – and that he did not even read it.
“I have always done my homework,” he reportedly added. “I’ve written 200 judgments to date, (all) written myself.”
The judge further said that while everyone has their own opinion, at the end of the day, what matters most is his.
Zaini, who became a High Court judge in 2017, also said: “I can assure you, in my short stint (as a judge), no one has ever told me what to do.”
He added that all judges have all taken an oath to preserve, uphold and protect the Federal Constitution and that they will certainly do so until they retire.
The defence is currently appealing for a lenient sentence for Rosmah. — Sept 1, 2022
