by RAHIMI YUNUS/ pic by ARIF KARTONO

FORMER aide to Datuk Seri Rosmah Mansor (picture), Datuk Rizal Mansor, had asked the company that secured the RM1.25 billion solar power supply contract to pay for an umrah trip.

In Rosmah’s graft trial, Rayyan Radzwill Abdullah, a business partner of Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd MD Saidi Abang Samsudin, testified in High Court yesterday that Rizal demanded money for the help rendered to get the solar project, including an umrah sponsorship for his family.

Rayyan Radzwill, the 16th prosecution witness, said he asked Saidi to pay for the Umrah as pressured by Rizal, and Saidi subsequently agreed.

“He was pressuring me so because it was for umrah, I asked him (Saidi) to give and Saidi agreed,” Rayyan Radzwill told the Kuala Lumpur High Court during cross-examination yesterday.

He, however, said he was not sure how much had been paid to Rizal for the umrah.

Rayyan Radzwill was answering Rosmah’s defence counsel Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader on a total payment of RM350,000 allegedly received by Rizal from Jepak Holdings in seven tranches of RM50,000 each.

The 41-year-old businessman said he was not aware of the said payments, but only of the umrah sponsorship.

Rayyan Radzwill also confirmed his previous testimony that he accompanied Saidi to Rizal’s house in 2016 and made a RM500,000 payment as a “reward” for helping the company obtain the solar project.

He also said he advised Saidi to be careful when dealing with Rizal, who Akberdin suggested as using Rosmah’s name to get money. When examined by lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, Rayyan Radzwill said the “political contributions” as mentioned in his first meeting at Rosmah’s residence was to ensure Jepak Holdings secure the project.

Sri Ram: “To you, what was the purpose of the contributions?”

Rayyan Radzwill: “The offer was to make sure Saidi and Jepak got the solar hybrid project.”

Sri Ram: “What would happen if the money had not been paid?”

Rayyan Radzwill: “Well, the minister at the time (Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid) was not cooperative, so, if we did not do what we did we would not get the contract.”

Earlier, Rayyan Radzwill disagreed with Akberdin’s suggestion that the then Education Minister Mahdzir and two former secretaries general at the ministry, Tan Sri Madinah Mohamad dan Datuk Seri Alias Ahmad, had colluded with Jepak Holdings.

“I am not aware of any collusion, but they did protect Jepak Holdings,” Rayyan Radzwill said over the failure of the three individuals at the ministry to take any action against Jepak Holdings for falsifying documents relating to the project.

Rosmah has been charged with soliciting RM187.5 million and two counts of receiving a total bribe of RM6.5 million from Saidi through Rizal concerning the project.

She was alleged to have received RM5 million cash from Saidi at her official residence in Putrajaya on Dec 20, 2016, after the Education Ministry issued the letter of award to Jepak Holdings.

The RM1.25 billion project was proposed to replace the electric generator system in 369 rural schools in Sarawak with a solar hybrid.