This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on February 11, 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: After telling the former education minister to hurry up with the approval of the solar hybrid project in June 2016, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor called Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, asking him to just follow her husband Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s instructions.

Mahdzir, who is also Umno vice-president, said he received a call on Dec 22, 2016, from Rosmah who said she was only helping “Cikgu Aazmey” to get the solar hybrid project.

“Rosmah told me to follow the directions as stated in the minutes by Najib and did not want me to delay in the solar project matter.

“I only replied ‘yes, yes Datin Seri’. I do not have any doubt that Rosmah is involved in helping Saidi [Abang Samsudin] to get the solar hybrid project from the education ministry,” the former minister said.

Saidi is the managing director of Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd, while Aazmey is Pekan Umno division secretary Datuk Ahmad Aazmey Abu Talib.

Rosmah is accused of soliciting RM187.5 million from Jepak’s Saidi between January and April 2016 and receiving RM5 million and another RM1.5 million in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

Mahdzir previously testified last Thursday that during a buka puasa function held at the prime minister’s official residence in Seri Perdana, Rosmah asked him to expedite Ahmad Aazmey’s project.

The former minister said he understood it to mean the solar hybrid project.

Mahdzir told the High Court that he had been hesitant to award the project to them as he was not confident in Jepak’s capability to carry out the solar hybrid project given their lack of expertise in the area.

“Around December 2016, I asked the ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Alias [Ahmad] to create a backup plan because I was sure that Jepak would not be able to provide diesel to the 369 schools in the interim period after the previous contractor ended their service. The backup plan was to ensure the supply of diesel to the generator for those schools in case there is a blackout,” he said.

Furthermore in March 2017, the former minister testified that when he asked for an action plan regarding the solar hybrid project, he was told that Jepak was still looking for a partner to implement the project.

‘Special exception made to ensure funds paid to Jepak’

Meanwhile, there were also complications with regard to the issuing of the payment to Jepak, the High Court heard yesterday.

Referring to a letter dated July 19, 2017, Mahdzir said he wrote the letter requesting for a special exception to be made for the incomplete documents provided to the finance ministry with regard to the cost of the project.

Mahdzir said he earlier met with Rosmah’s aide Datuk Rizal Mansor two or three days earlier, asking him to draft the letter seeking the exemption.

“Following a cabinet meeting, I gave the letter myself to Najib on July 19. I told him the letter is in regard to Jepak and there were issues with payment. I asked him whether he can grant a special exception in the financial procedure to allow for the payment to be made to Jepak. As the finance minister, he had the power to do so. Najib then minuted the memo with ‘Agree to allow the special exception as requested. Please proceed’,” Mahdzir said.

The trial resumes today.