Court finds Rosmah guilty in solar hybrid case

The Kuala Lumpur High Court has pronounced Rosmah Mansor guilty of three corruption charges related to the solar hybrid project for rural schools in Sarawak, a little more than a week after her husband Najib Razak was told to begin serving a 12-year jail term for the misappropriation of millions in SRC International funds.

Trial judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said the accused had failed to raise reasonable doubt against the prosecution's arguments, and that her defence was a mere denial unaccompanied by concrete evidence. 

Rosmah, 70, was ordered to enter her defence against the three charges on Feb 18 last year, after the prosecution succeeded in proving a prima facie case against her.

She faced one charge of soliciting RM187.5 million and two counts of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5 million from Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin.

The bribes were allegedly received through her former aide Rizal Mansor as a reward for helping Jepak Holdings secure the hybrid photovoltaic solar system integrated project as well as the maintenance and operation of diesel generator sets for 369 Sarawak rural schools worth RM1.25 billion from the education ministry through direct negotiation.

The High Court's verdict today comes a little over a week after the Federal Court dismissed Najib's final appeal against his conviction and sentence for the misappropriation of RM42 million in the SRC International case.