[UPDATED] Court sets July 6 to hear another of Rosmah’s application to challenge Sri Ram’s appointment

KUALA LUMPUR – The high court here has set July 6 to hear another of Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s application to challenge the appointment of Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram as the senior deputy public prosecutor in her corruption trial.

She is also applying to nullify the trial proceedings that started in 2018.

The application will be heard by judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid and the matter has been confirmed to Bernama by her lawyer Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader.

Rosmah, 70, filed the judicial review application on June 24 through Messrs Akberdin & Co in the high court naming the attorney-general and public prosecutor, government of Malaysia, and Sri Ram as respondents.

However, her earlier application was dismissed by the court and her appeal against the ruling was also rejected by the Court of Appeal and the federal court.

In her latest application, Rosmah sought to declare the appointment of Sri Ram as senior deputy public prosecutor through three letters of appointment (fiat) dated July 8, 2020, May 11 and May 21, 2021, respectively, was unlawful.

She sought to declare the invalidity of the first version of the fiat signed by AG Tan Sri Idrus Harun on July 8, 2020, which should have been signed by the previous AG, Tan Sri Tommy Thomas on or before November 15, 2018 – which was the date of prosecution against the applicant.

In addition, she sought to declare that the second version of the fiat dated May 11, 2021, was non-existent as Thomas in his book – My Story: Justice in the Wilderness published in 2021 stated that Sri Ram’s appointment was related to 1Malaysia Development Bhd and not her solar corruption trial, other than to declare that the appointment of the former federal court judge through the third version of the fiat was defective.

“Therefore, as the accused person, I must be acquitted of all the charges against me under Section 16 (a) (A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 in the solar case,” Rosmah claimed in her application.

Rosmah is charged with soliciting RM187.5 million and two counts of receiving bribes of RM6.5 million from Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd’s former managing director Saidi Abang Samsuddin through her former special officer Datuk Rizal Mansor.

It was an inducement to help the company Jepak Holdings to secure the hybrid photovoltaic solar system integrated project for 369 rural schools in Sarawak, worth RM1.25 billion.

The trial at the high court has been completed and judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan has set July 7 to deliver the court’s ruling on whether to acquit or convict Rosmah on the three corruption charges. – The Vibes, June 30, 2022