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Rosmah files bid to nullify her corruption trial

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The wife of former prime minister Najib Razak also wants a declaration that Gopal Sri Ram’s apppointment as prosecutor is illegal and irregular.

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Free Malaysia Today
Rosmah Mansor wants a mistrial declared and Gopal Sri Ram removed as prosecutor.

KUALA LUMPUR:
Rosmah Mansor, who has been ordered to enter her defence in her corruption trial, has filed an application to declare the proceedings in the High Court so far as a nullity.

The wife of former prime minister Najib Razak has also filed another application to obtain a declaration that the appointment of Gopal Sri Ram to prosecute her case was illegal and irregular.

Rosmah also wants a declaration that she be acquitted of all the charges should the court rule that the proceeding was a mistrial.

She has filed two separate affidavits in support of her applications.

Lawyer Akberdin Abdul Kader, a member of Rosmah’s legal team, said that cause papers were filed in the High Court yesterday and copies were served on the Attorney-General’s Chambers today.

“A case management has been fixed on Tuesday before trial judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan,” he told FMT.

The applications were filed after a Court of Appeal bench ruled last month that Sri Ram’s appointment letter was not dated on or before Nov 15, 2018, the day when Rosmah was charged in court, and was not signed by the then attorney-general (AG) Tommy Thomas.

Judge Suraya Othman, who chaired the three-member bench, also said the letter was dated July 8 last year – 19 months after Rosmah was charged – and was signed by the current AG, Idrus Harun.

Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib then agreed to extend a copy of Sri Ram’s letter of appointment to the defence within three days of the appellate court’s ruling.

Rosmah’s lawyers had earlier been seeking to view the letter but this had been denied by the High Court.

Last August, Zaini had dismissed Rosmah’s application to compel Sri Ram to produce his licence to prosecute the case. He also said the appointment of Sri Ram was made by Thomas and that there was no evidence to the contrary.

Rosmah, 69, is accused of soliciting RM187.5 million from former Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin through her then aide Rizal Mansor as an inducement to help the company secure a solar panel project through direct negotiations with the education ministry.

She is also accused of two counts of receiving bribes amounting to RM6.5 million from Saidi between 2016 and 2017.

The defence case has been scheduled to be heard on June 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22 and 23, and July 12 and 15.

Najib has also filed an appeal in the Court of Appeal to disqualify Sri Ram from leading the prosecution in the ongoing 1MDB audit report tampering trial.

Najib’s lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who is himself facing a RM9.5 million money laundering charge, is also attempting to disqualify Sri Ram.

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