Rosmah’s Solar Bribery Case Returns to High Court

Rosmah Mansor’s long-running solar bribery case is returning to the Kuala Lumpur High Court, where a new judge will hear additional evidence from prosecution witness Rayyan Radzwill Abdullah.

The move follows a unanimous ruling by a three-member Court of Appeal panel that Rosmah’s application to introduce new evidence linked to Rayyan’s testimony had merit. The panel, led by Datuk Azhahari Kamal Ramli and joined by Datuk Choo Kah Sing and K. Muniandy, ordered the hearing to take place at the newly constituted High Court.

The additional evidence concerns a police report, a statutory declaration and a supporting affidavit submitted by Rayyan. It must be recorded two weeks after a case-management date on Sept. 10. The hearing will be conducted by a new High Court judge, replacing Datuk Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, who previously heard the case and now sits on the Court of Appeal.

Reading the brief judgment, Choo said the appellate court was not deciding whether Rayyan’s additional evidence was true. It was assessing whether the material was relevant and sufficiently credible to warrant consideration. “A statutory declaration made under oath and supported by proper documents must be tested through cross-examination,” he said. He added that Rayyan could face criminal liability if he gave false evidence under oath.

The panel said the new evidence could reasonably raise doubts about the findings against Rosmah because it directly concerns whether she actively solicited or accepted bribes. Any withdrawal or contradiction of those facts could weaken the principal evidence supporting her conviction and alter the trial judge’s factual findings. The court also said rejecting the application could risk a miscarriage of justice, while stressing that the final impact would depend on the evidence and arguments heard by the High Court. Rosmah’s appeal against her 10-year sentence and RM970 million fine has been deferred to Oct. 14.

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A statutory declaration made under oath and supported by proper documents must be tested through cross-examination.