Saidi said he handed over RM5 million to Rosmah - Witness

The High Court hearing Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s corruption trial here was told today that Jepak Holdings managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin had handed over RM5 million in cash to the former prime minister's wife for her help in obtaining a Letter of Acceptance from the Ministry of Education (MOE) for a solar hybrid project in Sarawak.

Saidi's business partner, Rayyan Radzwill Abdullah, 41, said the matter was informed by Saidi to him in December 2016.

"He (Saidi) told me that he had handed over RM5 million in cash to Datin Seri Rosmah through Datuk Rizal Mansor (Rosmah's former assistant). On the same day at about 10 pm, Saidi invited me to go to Datuk Rizal Mansor’s house at Vista Kirana, Segambut, because Saidi wanted to give him a gift.

"Saidi handed over a paper bag that I believe contained cash to Datuk Rizal Mansor at his house, and after we left Datuk Rizal Mansor's house, Saidi told me that he had given RM500,000 in cash to Datuk Rizal Mansor as a reward for helping Jepak get the solar hybrid project from the MOE," he said during the examination-in-chief by DPP Mohamad Mustaffa P. Kunyalam.

The 16th prosecution witness was testifying on the 17th day of the trial of Rosmah, 68, who faces a charge of soliciting RM187.5 million and two counts of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5 million from Saidi.

The bribes were allegedly received through Rizal, as a reward for helping Jepak secure the Hybrid Photovoltaic Solar System Integrated Project as well as the maintenance and operation of diesel gen-sets for 369 Sarawak rural schools worth RM1.25 billion from the MOE through direct negotiation.

The acts were allegedly committed at Lygon Cafe, Sunway Putra Mall, Jalan Putra here; Rosmah’s residence at Jalan Langgak Duta, Taman Duta and at Seri Perdana, Persiaran Seri Perdana, Precinct 10, Putrajaya between January 2016 and Sept 2017.

Rayyan Radzwill, when reading his witness statement said that in June 2017, Saidi told him that the payment for the diesel maintenance project had not been received, but by the end of July, he was informed by Saidi via Whatsapp that Jepak had received the first payment for the solar hybrid project as well as the maintenance of diesel gen-sets amounting to about RM63 million.

Rayyan Radzwill, who is also the director of Nanocarb Technology Sdn Bhd, said Saidi had then asked him to contact Rizal to arrange a meeting between them and Rosmah, because Saidi wanted to thank her and hand over some of the contribution payment which was promised to her.

"Around August 2017, I had communicated with Datuk Rizal via WhatsApp to ask him to arrange a meeting between Saidi and Datin Seri Rosmah, and through a conversation dated August 4, 2017, I also informed Datuk Rizal that Saidi had agreed to pay 15 per cent from the first payment (received) for the solar hybrid project and genset maintenance totalling RM63 million,” he said.

According to Rayyan Radzwill, on Aug 8, 2017, he raised his and Saidi’s doubts with Datuk Rizal on whether the latter had handed over the RM5 million to Rosmah in December 2016, to which Datuk Rizal replied in the affirmative, amid feeling a little slighted, saying: 'Is this is how I’m repaid'.

In his statement yesterday, Rayyan Radzwill said Rizal had informed him that Rosmah had asked for a contribution of RM187.5 million, namely 15 per cent of the project’s RM1.25 billion value, in order to help Jepak secure it.

The witness said that on Aug 10, 2017, Rizal had informed him about a meeting arranged at Rosmah's residence in Taman Duta, only involving Saidi and Rosmah the next day, (August 11, 2017) however, he was not sure if the meeting had indeed taken place.

On Sept 7, 2017, Rayyan Radzwill said he and Saidi went to Rosmah's house in Jalan Langgak Duta where he saw Saidi's driver, named Shamsul, enter the house, and placing two black backpacks with orange 'stripes' beside the sofa in the living room of the house.

"During the meeting, Saidi told Datin Seri Rosmah that he would give some money now, and other payments would follow in accordance to the payments received based on the progress of the project.

"Datin Seri Rosmah simply nodded in agreement, and said 'okaylah' and she (Rosmah) also did not seem surprised by the money given, which I understand was handed by Saidi as a token of gratitude for the granting of the solar hybrid project to Jepak,” he said.

Rayyan Radzwill said at the time he did not know the amount of money contained in those two bags, and was only informed by Saidi when leaving the premises that there was RM1.5 million in them.

The trial before Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan continues tomorrow.

-- BERNAMA