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“I am a victim,” the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak said, as she sobbed while giving a statement from the dock.
“Never have I solicited any money.
“I hope your honour will consider (the fact) that I am a woman taking over a man’s role in my house,” she added, alluding to Najib’s jailing last week after the Federal Court upheld his conviction and sentence in the SRC International case.
“Look at me as a woman, with compassion … with some humanity.”
Rosmah said she had contributed to the society, especially to children, through her Permata programme.
“I am happy and pleased that I was able to contribute to the well being of this country,” she said.
Rosmah, 70, had earlier been found guilty on all three counts of corruption against her.
She had been charged with soliciting RM187.5 million from former Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin through her former aide, Rizal Mansor, as an inducement to help the company secure the RM1.25 billion Sarawak schools’ solar energy project.
She was also charged with receiving a bribe amounting to RM5 million from Saidi, through Rizal, at Seri Perdana in Putrajaya on Dec 20, 2016, and receiving another RM1.5 million from Saidi at Jalan Langgak Duta on Sept 7, 2017.
Speaking from the dock after the verdict, Rosmah insisted that she did not not know Saidi and his company, and that it was Rizal who actually knew the Sarawakian businessman.
“I never asked to see them (Saidi and business partner Rayyan Radzill Abdullah) or solicited (any money) from them.
“No one saw me taking the money, no one counted the money in front of me.
“But, if that is the conclusion (of the court), I leave my fate to the Almighty,” she said.
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