KUALA LUMPUR (May 11): The trial for Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor's RM7.1 million money laundering and tax evasion case is set to begin on Friday (May 12).

The wife of incarcerated former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will be in the dock for her second criminal trial following her conviction in the graft trial pertaining to a solar hybrid project for rural schools in Sarawak in September last year.

It was reported that Rosmah had sent a letter of representation earlier this month regarding this trial. However, her counsels have said that there has yet to be a reply from the Attorney General's Chambers — the public prosecutor on this.

A letter of representation is usually sent by lawyers seeking to reduce or withdraw the charges against the accused.

About 15 trial dates between May and September have been set, and the prosecution has indicated that it intends to call 13 witnesses.

High Court judge K Muniandy will preside over the trial. He replaces judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, who was elevated to the Court of Appeal in January.  

Rosmah's second criminal trial has been delayed several times as she had filed applications to recuse Zaini and disqualify the lead prosecutor, the late Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, in this matter.

She has since withdrawn her related appeal to recuse Zaini, given his elevation. The defence has also withdrawn the application to disqualify Sri Ram, who died in late January due to a lung infection.

Zaini was the judge who presided over Rosmah's first criminal trial on graft charges over a solar hybrid project involving 369 rural schools in Sarawak.

In September last year, Rosmah was found guilty of all three graft charges, sentenced to 10 years in jail, and fined a whopping RM970 million.

A stay was granted, pending the disposal of her appeal, which is slated to be heard in July this year.

In this trial, Rosmah is represented by Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent, Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin and Mohd Reza Rahim.

Deputy public prosecutors Kamal Bahrin Omar, Ahmad Akram Gharib, Mohd Mustafa P Kunyalam, Poh Yih Tinn and Deepa Nair Thevaharan are prosecuting.

In this trial, Rosmah faces 17 charges involving RM7.1 million transferred into her personal bank account between 2013 and 2017.

The charges were framed under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.

On the first eight counts, she is charged with money laundering by directly engaging in a transaction involving proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to RM1.1 million that were deposited into her account.

On the ninth to 12th counts, she is charged with directly engaging in 227 transactions involving proceeds of unlawful activities totalling RM6 million, which were also deposited into her account.

On the 13th to 17th counts, she is charged with engaging in money laundering by failing to file a return on the sum that was deposited into her account as required under the Income Tax Act 1967.

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