ROSMAH Mansor made enquiries about advanced payments to Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd over a solar hybrid project, as well as speeding up the signing of the official contract, a witness told the court today.

Former Education Ministry secretary-general Alias Ahmad told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that Rosmah had shown considerable interest in the contract, its related payments to Jepak, and when project could commence.

He said he took her queries seriously as she was the wife of then prime minister Najib Razak.

Alias, the 12^th witness in the graft trial, said Rosmah asked him these questions after they attended a Yayasan Permata meeting.

Alias had attended the meeting in his capacity as a permanent member of the foundation.

“After the meeting ended, Rosmah asked me about Jepak’s advance payment and when it could be made, as the company could not proceed with the project without the payment,” Alias read from his witness statement.

He said he did not remember the date of this conversation, but told the court it was before the signing of the official contract.

The contract with Jepak to provide hybrid solar power to rural schools in Sarawak was executed on June 20, 2017. 

Alias said he responded to Rosmah by telling her there were problems with the insurance company Jepak had used, which was not approved by the Finance Ministry.

Rosmah had also asked him, in the same conversation, when the official contract could be signed and if it could be speeded up.

“Rosmah asked me whether we could speed up the matter because if the contract was not signed, the progress payments could not be made,” Alias said.

He told the court he ended the conversation by saying Jepak had yet to complete the draft contract for vetting by the Education Ministry.

Yesterday, the trial’s 10th witness, former Education Ministry asset acquisition and management department secretary Kamarudin Abdullah, said Jepak had failed to meet the Finance Ministry’s requirements to secure a RM130 million advance for the solar project.

This was because the ministry did not recognise an insurance guarantee issued to Jepak from Archipelago Insurance Limited, which was not licensed under the Financial Services Act.

Rosmah, 69, faces three corruption charges, one of which is for soliciting RM187.5 million from Jepak managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin as inducement to help the company secure the solar hybrid project.

She is also accused of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5 million from Saidi in 2016 and 2017. – March 11, 2020.