KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 — The wife of former prime minister, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor today claimed trial to soliciting a bribe worth RM187.5 million and receiving a bribe of RM1.5 million.

The charges were read out in the Sessions Court here before judge Azman Ahmad.

Rosmah nodded to confirm she understood the charges against her when asked.

The offences were alleged to have been committed between 2016 and 2017.

In the first charge, Rosmah was accused of soliciting the RM187.5 million bribe from one Saidi Abang Samsuddin, who was the management director of Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd.

She was accused of soliciting the bribe in order to assist Jepak Holdings obtain a contract worth RM1.25 billion for the Projek Bersepadu Sistem Solar Photovoltaic Hibrid and to obtain the contract to install diesel generators for 369 rural schools in Sarawak.

The amount solicited represents 15 per cent of the total contract value being vied for by Jepak Holdings, and was alleged to have been committed between March and April 2016.

For the second charge, Rosmah was accused of receiving a bribe totalling RM1.5 million from Saidi on September 7, 2017, to assist Jepak Holdings obtain the aforementioned contract.

Both offences were read under paragraph 16 (a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, and punishable under Subsection 24(1) of the same Act. 

She then claimed trial to both charges, and was granted a RM1 million bail, half to be paid today and another within the next seven days.

Datuk K. Kumaraendran and Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent lead the defence team, with Datuk Umar Saifuddin Jaafar and Mohd Mukhzany Fariz Mohd Mokhtar prosecuting.

Judge Azman then set December 10 for the next case management.

Rosmah was charged alone and not jointly with her former aide Datuk Rizal Mansor.

* A previous version of this story contained an error which has since been corrected.