Rosmah Mansor Seeks Federal Court Review Amidst Corruption Case Appeal
PUTRAJAYA – Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, is preparing to file a review application with the Federal Court concerning the dismissal of her appeal to recuse the trial judge. This move aims to overturn the conviction she received three years ago for the RM1.25 billion solar hybrid project corruption case.
Her legal representative, Jagjit Singh, informed a Court of Appeal judge, Meor Hashimi Abdul Hamid, that he has received explicit instructions from Rosmah to lodge the application under Rule 137 of the Federal Court Rules 1995. Singh indicated that the application is slated to be filed by Friday, March 13. He conveyed this information to reporters following a case management session convened to schedule dates for Rosmah’s appeal against her conviction and sentencing.
The Court of Appeal is reportedly keen to expedite the disposal of this appeal, as it is recognised as one of the oldest pending cases originating from 2022. To that end, Meor has scheduled another case management session for March 16, where updates on the matter will be presented to the court. The prosecution is being represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Siew Wee.
This latest development follows a unanimous decision by a three-member Federal Court bench, chaired by Justice Nordin Hassan, which rejected Rosmah’s appeal yesterday. The bench concluded that the trial judge, Datuk Seri Zaini Mazlan, had not demonstrated bias and that Rosmah had not experienced any miscarriage of justice. Justices Datuk Che Ruzima Ghazali and Datuk Azimah Omar were also part of the Federal Court bench.
Rosmah had initially sought a retrial should her appeal be allowed. This request stemmed from a last-minute application she made on September 1, 2022, to prevent Zaini, who has since been elevated to the Court of Appeal, from presiding over her case.
Grounds for Recusal and Conviction Details
Rosmah’s bid to have Zaini recuse himself was based on her alleged loss of confidence in the judge. This sentiment reportedly arose after a draft of his judgment was purportedly leaked and published by the late blogger, Raja Petra Kamarudin, prior to the official decision date.
The original conviction saw Zaini find Rosmah guilty of soliciting RM187.5 million. This sum was allegedly sought from Saidi Abang Samsudin, the former managing director of Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd, through Rosmah’s former aide, Rizal Mansor. The alleged purpose of this solicitation was to facilitate Jepak Holdings’ success in securing the solar project.
Furthermore, Rosmah was convicted on two separate bribery charges:
- First Bribery Charge: Receiving RM5 million from Saidi, channeled through Rizal, at Seri Perdana in Putrajaya on December 20, 2016.
- Second Bribery Charge: Receiving RM1.5 million from Saidi, again through Rizal, at Jalan Langgak Duta on September 7, 2017.
Sentencing and Financial Penalties
For each of the three charges, Zaini imposed a 10-year jail sentence. Crucially, these sentences were ordered to run concurrently, meaning they would be served simultaneously. In addition to the prison terms, Rosmah was also ordered to pay a substantial fine of RM970 million.
The court’s ruling stipulated that should Rosmah fail to pay the RM970 million fine, she would face an additional 10 years of imprisonment. This comprehensive sentencing reflects the gravity of the corruption charges she faced in relation to the solar hybrid project. The ongoing legal battle signifies a protracted fight against these convictions.
