JEPAK Holdings’ partner Rayyan Radzwill Abdullah today alleged in court that former education minister Mahdzir Khalid asked for a “reward” (habuan) for helping the company secure a hybrid solar project to supply power to Sarawak schools. 

In the trial of Rosmah Mansor for corruption, Rayyan today said that the then minister had demanded 20% (RM250 million) of the project’s RM1.25 billion total value.

Mahdzir denied the accusation when he took the stand as a prosecution witness.

Rayyan, the trial’s 16th witness, said Mahdzir made the request after the ministry issued a letter of award (SST) to Jepak.

“Mahdzir had asked 20% of total project but Saidi felt the amount was too high,” Rayyan said, referring to his business partner and Jepak managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin.

“They came to an agreement settling at RM60 million, to be paid at RM1 million a month for five years.

“The money was to be paid through Mahdzir’s proxy, Md Fuad Yassin,” Rayyan told the court under cross-examination by defence lawyer Akberdin Abdul Kader.

Rayyan said had prepared the contract under Saidi’s guidance.

He added that to his knowledge, Saidi had not honoured the contract.

Rayyan said he only knew of a RM50,000 payment made to a hotel for delegates from Mahdzir’s Padang Terap constituency, when they came to Kuala Lumpur for an Umno general assembly.

Mahdzir is the Padang Terap MP and Umno division chief. He is currently the chairman of Tenaga Nasional Berhad.

Akberdin then asked Rayyan if he was aware that Fuad had disappeared and is currently wanted by the Malaysian Anti-corruption Commission (MACC).

Rayyan said he knew of this from the news.

Rayyan said Saidi had also agreed to make a series of payments to Pekan Umno secretary Ahmad Aazmey Abu Talib for his help getting then prime minister Najib Razak to issue support letters for the solar hybrid project.

Rayyan said that there was also a contract between Jepak and Aazmey for this agreement and added that he had drafted the contract under the guidance of Saidi. 

Rayyan said Jepak’s agreement with Aazmey was believed to be around 4-5% of the project’s total value. 

He said one of the agreements was a payment of RM2 million, which was given to Aazmey after the SST was issued. 

“I can’t remember the contract details now, but I remember the amount, which was RM2 million. 

“Aazmey once told me that he had received the RM2 million,” Rayyan told the court during cross-examination.

Rayyan said Saidi had made several other payments to Aazmey, but wasn’t sure of the amount because Saidi did not disclose it to him. 

Akberdin: You also gave your money to Aazmey right? 

Rayyan: Yes. He started pressing for it. So, I paid first, then Saidi returned it to me.

Akberdin: How many times have you done this?

Rayyan: About three to four times. 

He said Aazmey wanted his wife and children to be the beneficiaries should anything happen to him. 

Rayyan said he was aware that Aazmey was detained by MACC in connection to this case and that he saw him clad in an orange MACC lock-up suit after being questioned. 

Rayyan said he had advised Saidi not to bribe politicians to secure government projects and was against the practice, but Saidi told him this is how things work. 

He said it was one of the reasons why the then education minister and senior officials didn’t take any action against Jepak despite having committed forgery by altering the solar contract.

Rayyan said he took the matter to the Public Complaints Bureau and also made a police report on the forgery made by Jepak. 

In this trial, Rosmah, 69, faces three corruption charges, one of which is for soliciting RM187.5 million from Saidi as inducement to help Jepak Holdings secure the solar hybrid project in Sarawak.

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

The hearing before Zaini will continue tomorrow and Rayyan will be continued to be cross-examined. – August 3, 2020.