Sarawak school solar project: Rosmah, Rizal plead not guilty to corruption

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KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, who pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here yesterday to two counts of soliciting and accepting bribes totalling RM1.5 million in connection with the supply and installation of solar energy panels at 369 rural schools in Sarawak two years ago, was allowed bail of RM1 million in one surety.

Judge Azman Ahmad allowed Rosmah, 66, to pay RM500,000 of the bail amount yesterday with the balance to be settled within seven days.

He set Dec 10 for mention.

Earlier, the prosecution, conducted by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Umar Saifuddin Jaafar, proposed bail of RM1 million for Rosmah and for her to surrender her passport to the court.

Lawyer Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent, representing Rosmah, did not object to the amount, but requested for the payment to be made in installment within 10 days.

He also informed the court that his client’s passport had been surrendered to another Sessions Court in another case.

However, Umar Saifuddin objected to the bail payment to be made in installment.

Najib was also present in court and was seen holding Rosmah’s hands as they entered the courtroom.

Meanwhile, in another Sessions Court, Rosmah’s former special officer, Datuk Rizal Mansor, 44, who pleaded not guilty to four counts of soliciting and accepting bribes involving RM5.5 million, for himself and Rosmah over the same project, was allowed bail of RM1 million in two sureties.

Judge Rozina Ayob, who presided the case, allowed Rizal’s lawyer, Ridha Abdah Subri’s application for the bail amount to be paid in installment with RM500,000 to be paid yesterday and the balance before Nov 22.

Rizal was also ordered to surrender his passport to the court.

Earlier, the prosecution, conducted by deputy public prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar said both parties agreed to the bail amount, but the prosecution objected to it being paid in installments.

Ridha Abdah, in requesting for his client to be allowed to pay the bail in installments, said her client had given full cooperation to MACC during the investigation.

“My client also came to court today voluntarily and had never breached his bail condition when he was in remand. Today, the bailors for my client are in court. They are his wife and a younger sister,” she said.

Kamal Baharin also told the court that the case facing Rizal was related to Rosmah’s case.

“Therefore, I request for time for the prosecution to apply for both the cases to be heard jointly,” he added.

Rozina ordered the prosecution to file an official application and set Nov 29 for mention.

Some 369 schools in Sarawak are without fixed electricity supply and are only using diesel generators for electricity supply.

Prior to 2017, diesel was supplied to schools by contractors on a contract basis.

From Jan 1, 2017, Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd, which was originally one of the contractors involved, was granted the contract to supply electricity to all 369 schools for a period of three years until Dec 31, 2019 with a contract value of ‘over RM1 billion’ inclusive of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Apart from supplying diesel to the rural schools in Sarawak, the company was also involved in the installation of solar hybrid systems and maintenance of generators
in the 369 schools.

During the last DUN sitting, Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Integrity and Ombudsman) Datuk Talip Zulpilip in his ministerial winding-up speech said the case involving Jepak Holdings is being handled by the MACC and several witnesses had been called to testify.