The Federal Court unanimously dismissed Rosmah Mansor's application to review the apex court’s earlier decision refusing to recuse Justice Datuk Mohamed Zaini Mazlan from her solar hybrid graft case on July 29, 2026 [1, 2]. The three-judge panel was chaired by Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Datuk Azizah Nawawi, with Federal Court judges Datuk Lee Swee Seng and Datuk Ravinthran N. Paramaguru as members [1, 3, 4, 2].
The panel ruled Rosmah failed to meet the threshold under Rule 137 of the Rules of the Federal Court 1995 to allow a review application. Chief Judge Azizah Nawawi said, "The applicant did not pass the threshold, and the appeal is therefore dismissed." She added, "This court has the power to repeal the foundation under Rule 137, but this power must be exercised very cautiously. It will only be used in exceptional circumstances where there is likely a serious injustice and no effective remedy" [1, 2].
Rosmah Mansor was convicted by Justice Zaini on September 1, 2022, on three corruption charges involving RM1.25 billion from the solar hybrid project for rural schools in Sarawak. She was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in the graft case [3, 4]. Rosmah and her legal team claimed leaked draft notes prepared by the Kuala Lumpur High Court Research Unit influenced the trial judge's decision, alleging a breach of natural justice because her lawyers were not allowed to respond to the trial judgment prepared by the research team [1, 3, 4, 2]. Chief Judge Azizah said, "She argued that the trial judgment prepared by the Research Unit had been submitted to the High Court without her knowledge, and that her lawyers were not allowed to respond to it. This, she contended, clearly deprived her of her right to a fair trial and amounted to a breach of the principles of natural justice. However, we find that this issue goes to the merits of the appeal and does not constitute a ground for review under Rule 137. In any event, this court cannot place itself in the position of hearing an appeal and deciding the case in that capacity" [3].
Before this latest review attempt, Rosmah’s appeals and recusal applications at the High Court, Court of Appeal, and an earlier Federal Court panel were dismissed [1, 3, 4, 2].
The Court of Appeal has scheduled a 16-day hearing starting September 1, 2026, to hear Rosmah’s appeal to set aside her conviction and sentence [2].
