Then education minister Mahdzir Khalid had asked then prime minister Najib to grant an exemption from procurement regulations for implementation works on the solar panel project.
9.50am: The accused Rosmah Mansor enters the witness dock.
The ninth prosecution witness Ahmed Farriq Zainul Abidin, a businessperson, enters the witness stand.
10.02am: High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan enters the court and proceedings begin.
10.08am: Ahmed Farriq is recalled to identify an individual known to him as Lawrence, who was absent yesterday.
Lawrence comes through the witness door and is identified.
Defence counsel Azrul Zulkifli Stork takes the opportunity to ask further questions.
He asks Ahmad Farriq if he knew who the two butlers who took two bags from Rizal Mansor’s car and into Seri Perdana, were.
The witness replies in the negative.
Azrul then asks Ahmad Farriq that he would not know what the butlers did with the bags, which the witness concurs.
DPP Ahmad Akram Gharib then asks Ahmad Farriq if there are any other residences within Seri Perdana.
Ahmad Farriq replies that he doesn’t know.
10.15am: The tenth witness, former Education Ministry asset acquisition and management department secretary Kamarudin Abdullah is back in the stand.
He resumes reading his witness statement.
Kamarudin testifies that Jepak Holdings had failed to meet the Finance Ministry’s requirements to secure a RM130 million advance for the solar panel project.
This is noted in a letter from the Finance Ministry, replying to former Education Ministry chief secretary Alias Ahmad who asked for the advance.
The Finance Ministry letter noted that Jepak had presented to the Finance Ministry an insurance guarantee from one Archipelago Insurance Limited, which was not licensed under the Financial Services Act.
Archipelago it said, was only licensed by the Labuan Financial Services Authority.
The Finance Ministry said that in order to speed up the payment process, the Education Ministry should adhere to existing financial regulations and sign the procurement contract with Jepak soon.
10.20am: Kamarudin testifies that the Prime Minister’s Department (PMD) had sent a letter to Education Ministry chief secretary Alias Ahmad on April 19, 2017.
The PMD letter is to forward another letter from Jepak to the prime minister.
In the letter, Jepak asks the prime minister, in his capacity as finance minister, to approve the RM130 million advance.
Jepak also asked the prime minister to order Alias to pay out the advance without any delay.
The PMD letter is annotated with a minute from the prime minister, which reads “YBhg Datuk Sri Alias. Please sign this contract immediately”.
10.25am: Kamarudin testifies that on April 25, 2017, Alias had contacted him via WhatsApp.
Alias had sent to him a letter from Jepak to the Prime Minister dated April 21 that year.
Kamarudin said he was ordered to act upon the minute annotated by the prime minister on the Jepak letter.
The prime minister’s minutes read: “YBhg Datuk Sri Alias. This request is approved. Please issue the advance immediately.”
Kamarudin said he took screenshots of the WhatsApp conversation and printed it and the Jepak letter for record-keeping.
10.35am: Kamarudin testifies that the Finance Ministry on May 4, 2017, sent a letter to Alias rejecting the RM130 million advance.
This is as regulations state that advance payments can only amount to 25 percent or RM10 million, whichever is highest.
Alias then sends another letter to the Finance Ministry’s government procurements department, seeking approval for a RM10 million advance, guaranteed by Archipelago Insurance.
Alias receives a reply five days later that the Finance Ministry is maintaining its decision that the Education Ministry must adhere to all regulations before an advance is paid out.
11am: Kamarudin testifies that on July 19, 2017, then education minister Mahdzir Khalid had asked then prime minister Najib to grant an exemption from procurement regulations for implementation works on the solar panel project.
Najib had in minutes, informed then treasury deputy secretary-general Othman Semail that the exemption is granted.
11.14 am: Court breaks for a brief recess.
11.40am: Proceedings resume.
12.30pm: During cross-examination by the defence, Kamarudin claims that Mahdzir’s letter to Najib on July 19, 2017 was written by the minister himself.
“The minister wrote this letter himself, it did not go through me,” he says.
Earlier, he said it was Mahdzir who instructed him to remove a clause from the letter of award (LoA) to Jepak Holdings that would allow the government to terminate works and make deductions from any unfinished works.
However, he said anything not stated in the LoA could be added in the contract later.
Later, during re-examination by the deputy public prosecutor, Kamarudin was again asked about the July 19 letter.
He testifies that the minister had never called him to discuss the letter or ask for any pertinent information.
Instead, Kamarudin claims he only later received a copy of the letter.
Asked how the minister obtained the necessary information, he replies: “I believe through his special officer”.
12.40pm: Court breaks for lunch.
2.33pm: Court is back in session. Eleventh witness, Maybank assistant manager Low Ai Leen takes the stand.
3pm: Low testifies that Jepak Holding managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin had opened a Maybank account at the Medan Tuanku branch on March 27, 2009.
The account was still active as of July 2018 with a balance RM416.26
She confirms that at the start of December 2016, Saidi’s account had RM626,000 in balance.
On Dec 20 that year she says, there was a RM6 million deposit. RM5 million was withdrawn that same day via cheque.
On Sept 30, 2017, a further RM1.5 million was withdrawn from the bank.
During cross-examination, defence counsel Azrul questions Low whether the signatures on two withdrawal cheques were different from the signature used when Saidi was opening his account.
She replied that it was and agreed with Azrul that Maybank’s normal procedure was not to approve transactions without matching signatures.
During re-examination, the deputy public prosecutor, however, sought to show that many years had passed between the signatures.
Low told the court that the signature on account opening form was from 2009, while the cheques were signed on 2016 and 2017 respectively.
3.30pm: The trial is adjourned to tomorrow.
Earlier reports:
Mar 9, Rosmah’s Bribe Trial: Day 11
Mar 9, Rosmah’s Ex-Aide Rizal Mansor Now in Witness Protection
Feb 20, Rosmah’s Bribe Trial: Day Ten
Feb 20, Witness Tells Rosmah’s Trial Jepak MD Gave RM5 Million to “RM”
Feb 19, Rosmah’s Bribe Trial: Day Nine
Feb 18, Rosmah’s Bribe Trial: Day Eight
Feb 18, Rosmah’s Lawyer Tears into Madinah’s Testimony
Feb 17, Rosmah’s Bribe Trial: Day Seven
Feb 17, Ex-Education Ministry Sec-Gen: Business Partners Fought over RM1.2B Solar Project
Feb 13, Rosmah’s Bribe Trial: Day Six
Feb 13, Mahdzir Denies Hiring Lawyer to Broker Deal with AGC
Feb 12, Rosmah’s Bribe Trial: Day Five
Feb 12, Rosmah’s Refusal to Leave Accused Dock During Lunch Break Prompts Early Adjournment
Feb 11, Rosmah’s Defence Alleges Mahdzir Private Jets to Macau, Spore, Perth to Gamble
Feb 11, Rosmah’s Defence Lawyer Paints Ex-Minister Mahdzir as Corrupt
Feb 10, Rosmah’s Bribe Trial: Day Three
Feb 10, Ex-Minister Tells Rosmah’s Trial: I Wasn’t Bribed, Simply Followed Najib’s Orders
Feb 6, Rosmah’s Bribe Trial: Day Two
Feb 6, Driver Delivered Bags of Cash to Rosmah’s House
Feb 6, Rosmah Allegedly Pressured Ex-Minister to Award Project to Jepak
Feb 5, Rosmah’s Bribe Trial: Day One
Feb 5, Rosmah’s Lawyer Cries Intimidation over MACC’s Probe of Doctor Who Issued MC
Feb 5, RM6M Bribe in RM100 Bills
Feb 5, Rosmah’s Controversial FLOM Division Rebranded After Public Criticism
Feb 5, DPP: Overbearing Rosmah Wielded Considerable Influence