TOP officials from the Education Ministry protected Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd for tampering with the RM1.25 billion solar hybrid project contract, the Kuala Lumpur High Court heard today.

Rayyan Radzwill Abdullah, the 16th witness in Rosmah Mansor’s corruption trial, testified that two ministry secretaries-general and the education minister had failed to take action despite knowing that Jepak Holdings had altered the original contract.

Rayyan said Jepak Holdings had altered almost seven clauses in the contract that went against the government’s requirements.

“These are gazette clauses that cannot be amended, but Jepak Holdings did it,” Rayyan said during cross-examination by Rosmah’s counsel, Akberdin Abdul Kader.

“These changes would have incurred losses for the government.”

Rayyan was testifying in the trial of Rosmah, who faces one count of soliciting RM187.5 million and two counts of receiving RM6.5 million for the solar hybrid project to provide electricity to 369 rural schools in Sarawak.

She allegedly received the bribe from Jepak Holdings managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin through her aide, Rizal Mansor.

Akberdin then asked Rayyan if all three – Madinah Mohamad, who was then secretary-general until September 2, 2016; her successor, Alias Ahmad, who is now retired; and, then education minister Mahdzir Khalid – had failed in their duties to report this. The witness agreed.

Akberdin: All of them failed to carry out their responsibility and don’t have integrity as government officers because they colluded and protected Jepak?

Rayyan: I can’t say they colluded, but they protected Jepak.

The witness said he had contacted all three to report the forgery by Jepak Holdings but they did not act on his complaint.

Rayyan said he had again contacted Madinah, who in 2017 was appointed auditor-general, but she only offered to act after Pakatan Harapan won federal power in May 2018.

The witness said he could not tolerate what Jepak Holdings was doing as it involved schoolchildren. He then brought the matter to the Public Complaints Bureau and later lodged a police report on April 5, 2018, in Putrajaya.

Rayyan also told the court that he had received death threats from his former business partner Saidi, who was also Jepak Holdings managing director, after he had lodged the police report.

The threat was passed on to him by Jepak Holdings’ company secretary, adding that he still has a recording of that conversation.

“Saidi then got to know about the recording. He said he would correct the mistakes and told me to withdraw the report so that he would pay my share of RM10 million but I rejected it,” he told the court.

Rayyan said he is now suing Saidi for non-payment of service fees.

“Now, I’m suing him because he has the government’s money and I want to take back and return the money to the government,” he added.

Jepak Holdings received RM63 million in August 2017 as the first payment from the Education Ministry for the project.

The trial before high court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan continues tomorrow, with Saidi expected to take the stand. – August 4, 2020.