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KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court was informed that those who worked in the public service feared Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor because of her reputation as the “fierce wife” of the then prime minister, but this was simply their perception.
His former aide Datuk Rizal Mansor, 46, testified that Rosmah was seen as the spouse who could influence the decision and action of the country’s prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
“In the eyes of public servants, Rosmah has the ability to influence the prime minister to transfer government servants who oppose or challenge her applications to lesser positions, or in other words, to put them in ‘cold rooms ‘or they move them to places further away than where they live, “he said here on Wednesday (September 9).
This perception accumulated during the time he spent mingling with public servants, and Rizal said that at this point he did not believe it to be true and considered it only rumors that ruined Rosmah’s reputation.
“As his special officer, he would always defend his image to these people,” he said.
Rizal was reading a 46-page witness statement during the Rosmah corruption trial, where she is accused of corruption involving a solar hybrid project for rural schools in Sarawak.
The 21st prosecution witness was charged for the first time with four counts of similar corruption offenses related to the same project, but was acquitted in January.
He also told the court that he was working with Media Prima’s TV3 when he went for an interview with one Datuk Seri Siti Azizah Abod in the Prime Minister’s Office for the position of “media officer of the prime minister’s wife.”
He was appointed Rosmah Media Officer in 2009 by contract, which was renewable every two years until 2018.
During those years, the official name of his position changed several times: special officer, special duty officer, assistant special duty officer, and senior assistant to the senior manager of the special division.
Despite the name change, Rizal said the scope of his work had never changed and that he was the special officer of the prime minister’s wife.
In addition to managing Rosmah’s media relations, Rizal also worked on handling controversies and bad publicity surrounding his boss.
Rizal said he created a team of cybercriminals in 2012 under Rosmah’s instructions.
“This team needed to refute and explain all the slander and accusations against Rosmah to the public.
“The cybercriminals were operating with funds given by Rosmah herself. She would give me RM100,000 in cash monthly to support the team,” he said.
Rosmah, 69, faces one count of requesting RM187.5 thousand and two counts of receiving a bribe of RM6.5 thousand from Jepak Holdings managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin.
The bribe was allegedly received through former Rosmah aide Rizal as a bonus for helping Jepak Holdings secure the Integrated Photovoltaic Hybrid System, as well as the maintenance and operation of the generator / diesel set for 369 rural Sarawak schools valued at RM1 .25bil in direct negotiation with MOE.
The crimes were allegedly committed at Lygon Cafe, Sunway Putra Mall, Jalan Putra, here; her residence in Jalan Langgak Duta, Taman Duta, and in Seri Perdana, Persiaran Seri Perdana, Precinct 10, Putrajaya between January 2016 and September 7, 2017.
The hearing continues before Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan next Monday (September 14).
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