KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 23): The High Court on Thursday (Dec 23) dismissed the prosecution's attempt to impeach Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor over her purportedly conflicting statements — which she gave to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in October 2018 and her testimony in the court in her solar hybrid graft trial.
Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said there was no necessity for the court to embark on impeachment proceedings.
The judge added that Rosmah tried to explain the discrepancy in the proceedings with the MACC statement she gave in 2018 and while he noticed there were some contradictions, the court did not agree to embark on the impeachment proceedings.
“This follows that she already attempted to explain. Now, whether her explanation is credible or otherwise is something for the court to decide,” Justice Zaini explained.
The judge said he would later decide on the validity of Rosmah's statement due to contradictions as a whole at the end of the case, and the prosecution can continue to cross-examine her in relation to this issue.
The prosecution in the last session on Oct 21 tried to show a discrepancy in the statement which Rosmah gave to the MACC in October 2018, where she said she did not know former Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin and his former partner Rayyan Radzwill Abdullah as she had never met them.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib also tried to impress on Justice Zaini that the contradictions between the MACC statement and Rosmah's oral testimony during examination-in-chief by her lawyers were material contradictions.
Rosmah explained in her testimony that she met Saidi and Rayyan on two separate occasions in 2016 and 2017, and she was able to remember that her former aide Datuk Rizal Mansor introduced them to her.
When posed with the question earlier by senior Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, Rosmah explained that as the wife of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, she met thousands of people and did not have the luxury of remembering each and every one of them as she may have only met them for several minutes.
The 70-year-old also explained that she had security accompanying her and, at times, she did not even remember their names or faces.
She added that as the wife of the former premier, she met with many people all the time and did not "tenung" (stare) at the persons.
Rosmah admitted to having selective memory on occasion when in public.
She is facing three counts of graft charges of which she has been ordered to enter her defence.
The former premier's wife has claimed trial to soliciting RM187.5 million from the RM1.25 billion solar hybrid project involving 369 rural schools in Sarawak. She also faces two charges of receiving a total of RM6.5 million from Saidi.