KUALA LUMPUR: Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor has told the High Court that while she did not notice whether the wives of previous prime ministers used the title the “First Lady of Malaysia”, she herself led a “very, very busy life”.

       During cross-examination by lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, she was asked if her mother-in-law, the late Tun Rahah Mohd Noah, was then known as the first lady of Malaysia during the premiership of Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, who was the country’s second prime minister.

       Both Rahah and Abdul Razak were the parents of Rosmah’s husband, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

       “I don’t know. When she (Rahah) was the wife of the prime minister, I was not married to Najib,” she said at her graft trial here yesterday.

       Sri Ram: Can you confirm that the previous wives (of the prime ministers) do not have the title?

       Rosmah: I didn’t notice.

       Sri Ram suggested that Rosmah had assumed the title herself, which she denied.

       Sri Ram: You give yourself the title.

       Rosmah: No.

       Sri Ram: Who gave you the title?

       Rosmah: Nobody gave me the title. It was just (for) an administrative purpose.

       “Wives of the (previous) prime ministers weren’t too active in welfare activities or outstanding projects like Permata Negara,” she said.

       “They were probably hardly ever called to give keynote addresses outside the country.

       “When my husband was the prime minister, I led a very, very, busy life.”

       Sri Ram then asked Rosmah if there was a department that was created within the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) called “The First Lady of Malaysia”.

       “I don’t know. That is not my job. I don’t interfere with the PMO,” she said.

       The High Court had previously heard that Rosmah was the first wife of a prime minister to have her own dedicated division within the PMO.

       Sri Ram suggested that Rosmah came into the limelight much more than the wives of her husband’s predecessors.

       “I’m not sure because I don’t compare myself to them,” she replied.

       Rosmah also maintained that there was a conspiracy between her former aide Datuk Rizal Mansor and the Attorney General’s Cham-bers resulting in the “selective prosecution” against her despite her not knowing any of the deputy public prosecutors (DPPs) prior to her case.

       Sri Ram, who was questioning Rosmah on the purported conspiracy, introduced her to each of the DPPs on the team.

       The seven DPPs on the team then stood up and introduced themselves one by one to Rosmah, who was sitting on the witness stand.

       Sri Ram then asked Rosmah if she had known the DPPs or had any quarrel with them, to which Rosmah said she did not know any of them and had only seen a few of them in court.

       She also agreed that she did not have any quarrel with them.

       Sri Ram: “Your defence consists of the following (Rizal and AGC officers) hoisting a false case on you.”

       Rosmah: “Correct.”

       He suggested that Rosmah had no basis in her assertion that Rizal entered into a conspiracy with the prosecutors in order to give evidence against her in the case.

       Rosmah: “How come you are not introducing yourself?”

       Sri Ram: “Because I’m not from the AGC.”

       “But you were appointed (by the AGC). You have your fiat (authorisation),” Rosmah said in jest.

       The prosecutor did not respond to Rosmah’s remark but requested to “get on with the case”.

       Sri Ram: “My Lord, can we get on with the case? There is no basis that Rizal entered into a conspiracy to give evidence against you.”

       Rosmah: “Disagree.”

       Prior to the commencement of her defence trial, Rosmah had filed an application to disqualify Sri Ram, who is a former Federal Court judge, from continuing the prosecution against her based on claims that his appointment letter to be a senior deputy public prosecutor in her case was not valid.

       Her application was dismissed by the High Court and is currently in the appeal stage.

       Rosmah is facing one charge of soliciting RM187.5mil and two counts of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5mil from Jepak Holdings’ former managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin involving the RM1.25bil solar hybrid project in Sarawak.

       The hearing continues before Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan on Oct 21.