FORMER Education Ministry secretary-general Madinah Mohamad was the one who desperately wanted the solar hybrid project awarded to Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd before she resigned from the ministry, the Kuala Lumpur High Court heard today.

Rosmah Mansor’s lawyer, Akberdin Abdul Kader, told court that despite Madinah’s claims that she had followed former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s orders and Rosmah’s request to expedite the solar project, he claimed it was her “mission” to ensure Jepak’s solar project started before she left the ministry.

Akberdin said within days of the letter of intent (LoI) being issued on August 29, 2016, Madinah had written to the Finance Ministry to request for additional funds for the project and to ask for the letter of award (LoA) to be issued to Jepak Holdings.

He described the urgency of such a request on the last day of her service (September 2, 2016) to be “extraordinary”.

Akberdin: Do you agree with me that you wrote a letter requesting for additional funds and issuance of LoA to Jepak on your last day of service. This is an extraordinary thing.

Madinah: Disagree

Akberdin: In your witness statement, you said the PM pressed you on the project (to be quickly implemented) but on your last day, you wrote the letter and signed. So, I’m putting it to you that you were pressing for the project, not the PM.

Madinah: I was not pressing.

Rosmah, the 69-year-old wife of the former prime minister, faces three corruption charges, one of which is for soliciting RM187.5 million from Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin as inducement to help the company secure a RM1.25 billion contract to outfit 369 schools in Sarawak with a solar system, worth RM1.25 billion.

She is also accused of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5 million from Saidi in 2016 and 2017.

Akberdin then referred to then Finance Ministry government procurement department chief Othman Semail’s memo to Najib on August 18, 2016, that said the Education Ministry lacked funds to carry on with the project.

Othman, however, suggested to Najib that the Education Ministry could proceed with the project by gradually implementing the solar system using the annual operating expenses budget, to which Najib agreed.

Othman is the seventh witness in Rosmah’s corruption trial. He is expected to be cross-examined tomorrow.

Despite all this, Akberdin said Madinah had requested for extra funds from the Finance  Ministry (MoF).

Akberdin: A huge project that is outside the Education Ministry’s budget, why sign the letter on your last day? You could have allowed your successor to do it. Othman’s letter suggested the Education Ministry use the diesel gen-set allocations that are available and not additional funding.

Madinah: Even on the last day, I have responsibilities to fulfil. The Finance Ministry also had their reservations on the project but they were forced to agree because the PM had instructed as such. So, on September 2, 2016, I wrote to Irwan Serigar (the Treasury secretary-general) to request for additional funds to proceed with the project.

Akberdin: You said in your witness statement that the MoF is the deciding authority. So, they approved the allocation that was readily available but on the last day, you still sent a letter to secretary-general of Treasury and requested for additional funds for the project.

Madinah: Agree.

Akberdin then asked Madinah if the ministry had a farewell party for her since she worked there for three years.

She said no farewell party was held and she had worked until she clocked out.

Akberdin then suggested to the witness that it was her mission to get the project started before she left, which she denied. – February 19, 2020.