TWO bags purportedly filled with cash were delivered from Pavilion Tower in Kuala Lumpur to then prime minister Najib Razak’s official residence in December 2016, a witness told the court in Rosmah Mansor’s graft trial today.

Ninth prosecution witness Ahmed Farriq Zainul Abidin, a businessman, said he accompanied Rosmah’s then aide, Rizal Mansor, to deliver the bags from Pavilion Tower to Seri Perdana in Putrajaya.

He testified that he had known Rizal since 2014 after being introduced by a friend, and that at the time, he knew Rizal was not just Rosmah’s aide, but also Najib’s special officer.

On what happened in December 2016, Farriq said he and Rizal were having coffee at the Pavilion shopping mall when the latter received a call.

After taking the call, Rizal asked Farriq to accompany him to Pavilion Tower, to which the witness agreed.

Upon their arrival, said Farriq, he noticed two or three unidentified men getting out of a car and making their way to the building’s lift.

Farriq said he is not sure whether Rizal followed them into the lift or took another one up.

During this time, said the witness, he waited for Rizal in the lobby.

After some 20 minutes, Rizal emerged and told Farriq that “there’s a problem” and he had to send the bags to Seri Perdana.

Farriq said he agreed to the matter without much question.

He said they placed the bags in Rizal’s black Toyota Alphard and left. He sat with Rizal in the back seat of the vehicle, which was driven by Rizal’s driver, Arif.

Farriq said another man suddenly got into the vehicle and sat in the front passenger seat.

The witness said Rizal told him that the man was a member of the police force, and known as “Evo”.

During the ride to Seri Perdana, he said, Rizal told him that the bags contained cash, but did not specify the amount.

Farriq said he asked Rizal why they were heading to Putrajaya, and the latter replied: “Want to pass something to ma’am.”

The businessman told the court that he did not ask Rizal whom the latter meant by “ma’am” because he knew it was Rosmah.

He said he told Rizal that he was uneasy having an unknown man in the vehicle and suggested that “Evo” be dropped off at the Prime Minister’s Office, to which Rizal agreed.

After doing this, Rizal called a police outrider to escort them to Seri Perdana, said Farriq.

When they arrived, Rizal got out of the vehicle, and two butlers appeared, said the witness, adding that he identified the duo as such from their uniform.

He said the butlers took a bag each from the vehicle.

“These were the same bags that were loaded into the car boot at Pavilion.”

He said Rizal wanted to meet “ma’am”, and asked him to wait in the Alphard.

Farriq said Rizal and the butlers then entered Seri Perdana.

“I clearly saw the two bags being brought into Seri Perdana by the butlers.”

He said Rizal returned by himself after 30 minutes without the bags and told him “dah settle” (it’s settled), and they returned to Kuala Lumpur.

Farriq said Rizal did not tell him about what happened at Pavilion Tower or Seri Perdana, adding that Rizal was secretive especially when it came to his work.

Rosmah, who is Najib’s wife, faces three counts of corruption, one of which is for soliciting RM187.5 million from Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin as an inducement to help the company secure a solar hybrid project for Sarawak rural schools.

The 69-year-old is also accused of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5 million from Saidi in 2016 and 2017.

Earlier, the prosecution’s eighth witness, Razak Othman, who is Saidi’s business partner, told the court that he and Saidi transported two bags stuffed with cash to Pavilion and later placed them in a black vehicle.

Both Farriq and Razak were released from the stand today after they finished giving their testimonies.

The trial’s 10th witness, Kamarudin Abdullah, who is former Education Ministry asset acquisition and management department secretary, is the next to testify.

Lead defence counsel Jagjit Singh requested an early adjournment today as he wants to attend a wake for Asian International Arbitration Centre director Vinayak Pradhan.

Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan allowed the court to adjourn at 1pm. – March 9, 2020.