DATIN Seri Rosmah Mansor’s appeal against her conviction, 10-year prison sentence and RM970 million fine for corruption linked to a solar hybrid project will finally be heard today, almost four years after her conviction.
The appeal was originally scheduled for hearing on July 11, 2023, but was postponed to allow Rosmah to pursue an application challenging the validity of the appointment of the late Datuk Gopal Sri Ram as lead prosecutor and seeking to have the corruption trial over the solar hybrid project annulled.
In October 2024, the appeal was halted again after Rosmah sought to disqualify High Court judge Datuk Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, now a Court of Appeal judge, on the grounds that his judgment had allegedly been leaked on social media.
The appeal was postponed again on July 1 this year after Rosmah filed a review application seeking to disqualify Mohamed Zaini. The application was scheduled to be heard by the Federal Court on July 29.
On that date, the Federal Court dismissed the review application.
During proceedings in July, before granting the final postponement, a three-member Court of Appeal panel led by Datuk Azhahari Kamal Ramli, sitting with Datuk Choo Kah Sing and K. Muniandy, fixed 16 days in September to hear the appeal.
The panel stressed that no further postponements would be granted, setting Sept 1 to 4, Sept 8 to 11 and Sept 21 to 30 for the hearing.
On Sept 1, 2022, Mohamed Zaini sentenced Rosmah to 10 years in prison and fined her RM970 million after finding her guilty of three corruption charges involving a RM1.25 billion solar hybrid project to supply electricity to 369 rural schools in Sarawak.
For each offence, the court imposed a 10-year prison term, with all three sentences to run concurrently.
Rosmah was also fined RM937.5 million for the first charge, RM7.5 million for the second and RM25 million for the third, bringing the total fine to RM970 million.
If she fails to pay the fine, she faces an additional 30 years in prison. - September 1, 2026
