JEPAK Holding’s managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin told the court today that he had offered a political donation to Rosmah Mansor for Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno in exchange for her help to secure a solar hybrid project for his company.

Saidi, the trial’s 17th witness in Rosmah’s graft trial for soliciting and receiving bribes over the project, said that the donation offer was made to the former prime minister’s wife in their first meeting at her residence in Langgak Duta some time in early 2016.

Reading from his witness statement, he told the court that he would offer Rosmah 10% of the project’s RM1.25 billion total value as a political contribution, if she helped Jepak secure the project by hastening the letter of award (LOA) process.

He said he and business partner Rayyan Radzwill Abdullah, who was the trial’s 16thwitness, came up with the idea of political donation together.

“The purpose of the political donation is to take care of the political stability of BN and Umno in Malaysia,” Saidi said when questioned by deputy public prosecutor Idham Abd Ghani on why he made such an offer.

Saidi said Rosmah responded by saying that Umno was in a bad political situation and that Pekan Umno needed funds.

Rosmah’s husband, former prime minister Najib Razak, was then and still is Pekan MP. 

Saidi said Rosmah instructed her then aide Rizal Mansor to arrange a meeting with one “Desmond” in order to “legalise” the political donation. The meeting lasted around five minutes.

Later the same day, Saidi said he met Rizal at Lygon Café in Sunway Putra Mall, Kuala Lumpur, where the latter said that Rosmah wanted the political donation to be 15% instead.

Saidi said he tried to bargain down, asking Rizal to convince Rosmah to agree to between 10% to 12%, to which Rizal said he would try.

But Rosmah still wanted 15%, Saidi said. He was informed of this later the same night by Rayyan, who had spoken to Rizal.

About a week later, Saidi said he and Rizal met Desmond at Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur. 

Desmond referred them to his officer named Lawrence, who proposed a deal with a Taiwanese company to legalise the political donation.

Saidi said Lawrence prepared a four-page agreement which quoted a 10% consultation fee to the company for their role in helping Jepak obtain the solar project. 

This percentage was later changed to 15%, after Rizal intervened and said the change was at Rosmah’s request, Saidi said.

The Education Ministry finally issued the LOA to Jepak on November 10, 2016. 

Towards the year end 2016, Saidi said that he took a loan of RM16 million from Buildamount International Sdn Bhd to execute a diesel gen-set project.

From this amount, Saidi said he withdrew RM5 million in cash as the first payment to be made to Rosmah, which was subsequently delivered to her residence in Seri Perdana, Putrajaya by Rizal.

The following year, after Jepak received its first payment from the Education Ministry in July 2017, Saidi said that on September 7, he, Rayyan and Rizal met Rosmah at her Langgak Duta, Kuala Lumpur residence, and handed over another tranche of the political donation. 

Saidi said that he delivered two black bags containing a total of RM1.5 million to her house on the said date.

“I told Rosmah that I brought some money as promised and the rest will be given based on the project’s progress.

“She just responded ‘hmm’,” he told the court before ending his witness statement. 

Lead prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram then asked Saidi a few questions, including whether he (Saidi) had ever received any receipts from either Barisan Nasional or Umno for the RM6.5 million political donations.

“Until today, did you get any receipt from Barisan Nasional or Umno on the RM6.5 million given?” Gopal asked.

“No,” replied Saidi.

Rosmah, 69, is claiming trial to one count of soliciting RM187.5 million and two counts of receiving a total of RM6.5 million for the solar hybrid project to provide electricity to 369 rural schools in Sarawak.

She was alleged to have received the bribe from Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin, through her aide Rizal Mansor.

The trail before judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan will continue tomorrow, with the defence beginning their cross-examination. – August 5, 2020.