Rosmah's appeal hearing for solar hybrid corruption conviction set for Oct 23-24

PUTRAJAYA - The Court of Appeal has scheduled a two-day hearing for Datin Rosmah Mansor's appeal against her conviction, 10-year imprisonment and RM970 million fine for corruption, starting Oct 23.

Court of Appeal deputy registrar Muhammad Noor Firdaus Rosli set the dates following a case management session today.

Rosmah's lawyer Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader and deputy public prosecutor Poh Yih Tinn confirmed the hearing dates to Bernama.

Akberdin said he informed the deputy registrar that they want the court, on the hearing day, to first hear Rosmah's appeal regarding High Court Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan’s (now Court of Appeal Judge) decision to dismiss her application for him to recuse himself from her corruption case.

Akberdin and Datuk Jagjit Singh attended the case management while deputy public prosecutor K. Mangai appeared for the prosecution.

The recusal application was made two days before the judgment was set to be delivered, based on a purported "leaked judgment."

Akberdin also told Bernama that the defence team has filed a 700-paged submission for the appeal.

On Sept 1, Judge Mohamed Zaini found Rosmah, the wife of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, guilty of three corruption charges involving a RM1.25 billion hybrid solar project for 369 rural schools in Sarawak.

Rosmah, 72, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for each charge to run concurrently which means she will only serve 10 years in jail. She was also fined RM970 million and if Rosmah failed to pay the fine, she would be liable to a total of 30 years in jail.

She was accused of one count of soliciting RM187.5 million and two counts of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5 million from Jepak Holdings former managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin.

The High Court, however, granted Rosmah a stay of execution of the imprisonment term and fine pending her appeal to the Court of Appeal. - BERNAMA