This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on February 10, 2020 - February 16, 2020

IT is a scene straight out of a Hollywood movie: A man withdraws stacks of money from the bank then dashes off to a dingy little mall to buy cheap luggage, which he stuffs with said cash. To ensure he delivers the funds, he is escorted by an armed man to the drop-off point.

But all of this actually happened to prosecution witness Shamsul Rizal Shabini, driver to Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin.

He was ordered to transport cash-filled bags to Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, wife of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, which the prosecution contends was for her help in clinching a RM1.25 billion solar diesel hybrid project to power schools in rural Sarawak.

The 42-year-old testified in the High Court on the second day of Rosmah’s graft trial on Thursday that he was aware his boss had secured the project and even saw the letter in which Najib had given the go-ahead.

Before Shamsul took the stand, Maybank Medan Tuanku chief cashier Azimah Aziz told the court that Saidi had withdrawn RM5 million on Dec 19, 2016. On Sept 7, 2017, he withdrew another RM1.5 million. On both occasions, the money was withdrawn in RM100 notes.

Shamsul said he made the first cash delivery in late 2016. After driving Saidi to the Maybank Medan Tuanku branch in his Range Rover, where they met a man named Razak, he drove them to Pertama Complex in Kuala Lumpur, where his boss purchased two black bags.

Returning to the bank, Saidi and Razak returned to the car, each carrying a suitcase.

Shamsul said he did not know what was inside the bags but that when both men got into the vehicle, an unidentified armed man suddenly made an appearance. Shamsul said Saidi appeared not to know who the man was. In fact, he feared for their lives.

“Saidi asked me to take him to the Pavilion mall and on arriving there I removed the two luggage bags and saw my employer, Razak and the unidentified man meeting with Rosmah’s aide Datuk Rizal Mansor. I saw all three of them talking but I don’t know what they were talking about.

“Half an hour later, Saidi called me to pick him up and when I brought the car, I saw the two bags had already been placed inside a Black Vellfire, which later left the mall,” said Shamsul.

In the second incident, Shamsul said he was asked to go to the same bank branch sometime in 2017, and he used Saidi’s Mercedes Benz S400. This time he was asked to purchase two backpacks in Jalan Chow Kit.

“After buying them, I went back to the bank’s cash room and saw huge amounts of cash in RM100 notes. Saidi then asked me to help put the cash in the backpacks. We later left for Rosmah’s residence in Jalan Langgak Tunku, where Rizal met us on arrival.

“Saidi asked Rizal where is ‘madam’ and I remembered Rizal replying that she was upstairs. I placed the two backpacks on the green sofa in the third living room of the house. We then left.”

In senior deputy public prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram’s opening statement, he said that Rosmah’s considerable influence and overbearing nature helped Jepak to get the project and described how she had received the money using Rizal, who was then her aide, as the intermediary.

The trial will continue on Monday with former education minister, Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, continuing his testimony before Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan.

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