THERE was no reason to use an employee to negotiate deals or receive bribes when her husband, Najib Razak, was the head of government, Rosmah Mansor told the High Court today.

Rosmah told her counsel, Akberdin Abdul Kader, this when asked if she had asked her then aide Rizal Mansor to negotiate deals or accept bribes on her behalf.

“I have never asked Rizal to negotiate on my behalf, and I never received what was stated in court – that I received the RM1.5 million and also the RM5 million.

“As far as I am concerned, he is just staff.

“Even if I wanted to, why should I go to Rizal when I have got a husband who sleeps with me; I cannot tell him to do it?

“Whether he accepts it or not, that is up to my husband because he had warned me many times not to get involved with contractors or any business dealing.”

Rosmah said Najib had told her that she is “just a wife”.

Rizal, who is crown witness in the trial, previously testified that Rosmah had received RM6.5 million for her role in helping Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd acquire the RM1.25 billion solar hybrid project for 369 rural schools in Sarawak.

He said he had personally delivered the RM5 million to Najib’s official residence in Putrajaya in December 2016, while Jepak managing director Saidi Abang Samsuddin delivered the remaining RM1.5 million to Najib’s private residence in Jalan Langgak Duta, Kuala Lumpur.

Made the scapegoat

Rosmah told the court that several individuals involved in the project have turned into prosecution witnesses to save their own skin.

She said to escape prosecution, Rizal, former education minister Mahdzir Khalid and former education ministry secretaries-general Alias Ahmad and Madinah Mohamad have instead pointed their fingers at her, making her a scapegoat.

She said Mahdzir, Madinah and Alias had abused their powers in granting Jepak the project, and claimed that Rizal was the biggest beneficiary from the project.

“I got to know that the project did not even get off the ground in this court, but they all got off scot-free. You cannot do that.”

Rosmah, who called Rizal “a liar through and through”, said her former aide should be the one facing charges, adding that it is unfair that she is in the accused dock.

She said he had misused her name and his supposed position as her special officer to his advantage.

Rosmah maintained her innocence, claiming that she had not taken or solicited any bribe.

“I got to know that Rizal had received and solicited bribes from Jepak in this trial, but he has been acquitted and discharged.

“This is despite him admitting to asking for bribes and other benefits, and going to umrah. But he has been discharged, but, I, who never received any bribe from the parties mentioned by the prosecution, have not been discharged.”

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

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

Rosmah said she had limited direct dealings with Rizal during his tenure at the First Lady of Malaysia Department, and that she mainly liaised with department head Siti Azizah Sheikh Abod.

Siti Azizah, who is the second defence witness, also took the stand today.

Siti Azizah, in her written statement, briefed about her role in the department and said Rizal was a special function officer and had no official designation as Rosmah’s special officer.

Rizal had misinterpreted his position to third parties as a means to raise his importance, she added.

The trial is expected to resume on January 10. – December 24, 2021.