Her former aide, Rizal Mansor, under cross-examination by lawyer Jagjit Singh, said this was based on his 46-page witness statement he read out in court last week.
Jagjit: I put it to you she never asked for herself any money from Jepak Holdings.
Rizal: Yes, based on my witness statement.
Jagjit: Again, could you confirm there was no direct dealing by her with Jepak Holdings managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin and his business partner, Rayyan Radzwill Abdullah.
Rizal: Yes.
Jagjit: Thank you.
Rizal, who is the prosecution’s 20th witness, said the money solicited and received from Jepak Holdings was political donation and not corrupt money.
“My first meeting with Saidi and Rayyan was to get political donations,” he said.
In his witness statement, Rizal said Saidi and Rayyan had told him to inform Rosmah that they were offering political contributions because they were grateful to her husband then prime minister, Najib Razak, for approving the project.
Saidi had also testified that he offered the donation to Umno and Barisan Nasional through Rosmah as he was unable to meet Najib in person.
He said he offered 10% of the total project cost (of RM1.25 billion) as a donation to help ensure Umno and BN were politically stable.
In April 2018, Rosmah, 69, was charged with three counts of corruption for allegedly soliciting RM187.5 million from Saidi as an inducement to help the company secure the project in 369 rural Sarawak schools.
She is also accused of receiving bribes amounting to RM6.5 million from Saidi between 2016 and 2017.
Rizal was initially charged with soliciting and receiving bribes for himself and Rosmah amounting to RM5.5 million.
However, early this year, the prosecution withdrew the charge against Rizal and made him its crown witness.
Rizal today vehemently dismissed Jagjit’s suggestion that he had cut a deal with the prosecution to save himself and instead implicate Rosmah in the graft charges.
Jagjit: I put it to you that evidence led so far shows that you are corrupt to the core.
Rizal: No, I don’t agree.
The witness also said he obtained some funds from Saidi and Rayyan to perform umrah but that money came from political donations.
He said he was not ashamed of going to the holy land using money from political contributions.
He then dismissed the lawyer’s accusations, branding him as a dishonest, temptable and despicable person.
Jagjit then asked Rizal whether he expected the court to believe him now that he had admitted taking money from Jepak Holdings but earlier claimed trial when charged.
Rizal said he was earning RM7,000 a month as an officer with special functions to Rosmah but owned a RM3.5 million house and several luxury cars and a bicycle.
He said he was soliciting money, among others, from Jepak as he had intended to vie for the Umno Youth chief’s post in 2017, but the contest was postponed due to the impending general election in 2018.
The hearing before judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan continues.
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