THE High Court in Kuala Lumpur today postponed Rosmah Mansor’s solar energy project corruption trial after her counsel, Akberdin Abdul Kader was tested positive for Covid-19.

Senior deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram informed judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan that Akberdin had contracted the virus while two of the defence team – Jagjit Singh and Azrul Zulkifli Stork – were close contacts to Akberdin and needed to be quarantined.

Zaini said that the court had also been notified of the matter by Jagjit’s law firm.

“I understand that he was diagnosed on February 12. It is unfortunate to hear that. I wish him well,” he said.

Zaini then adjourned today’s proceedings to February 23. Today was supposed to have been the last day hearing Rosmah’s defence, in which a special officer to former prime minister Najib Razak, Siti Azizah Sheikh Abod, was supposed to have been cross-examined by the prosecution.

Meanwhile, Sri Ram told the court that an application has been filed for a star witness in the case, former Jepak Holdings managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin, to be recalled to testify.

On February 18 last year, the High Court ordered Rosmah to defend herself on all three corruption charges involving the solar hybrid project for 369 rural schools in Sarawak after finding that the prosecution had succeeded in proving a prima facie case against her.

Rosmah, 70, faces one charge of soliciting RM188 million and two charges of accepting RM6.5 million in bribes from Saidi.

The bribes were allegedly received through her former special officer Rizal Mansor as a reward to help Jepak Holdings to obtain the integrated solar photovoltaic (pv) hybrid system project as well as genset/diesel maintenance and operation for 369 schools worth RM1.25 billion through direct negotiations from the Ministry of Education. – Bernama, February 15, 2022.