KUALA LUMPUR – Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor will return to court later this month to stake claim on 2,436 pieces of jewellery and 29 luxury bags that were seized by police during a raid at Pavilion Residences here in May 2018.
Lawyer Azamuddin Abdul Aziz, who is representing Rosmah in her application, confirmed that the case management before judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin will proceed as scheduled on September 26 and 27.
“Currently, there are more than 2,400 pieces of jewellery and 29 luxury bags remaining in government custody. The rest of the seized items have been returned,” he told The Vibes.
Previously in 2019, the prosecution filed a forfeiture application against Obyu Holdings, who is identified as the owner of two condominium units in Pavillion Residences where the items were seized.
The seized items were 11,991 units of jewellery, 401 watch straps and 16 watch accessories, 234 pairs of spectacles and 306 handbags, as well as cash in various denominations amounting to RM114,164,393.44.
The total items seized were valued between RM900 million and RM1.1 billion.
The items and cash were seized as the authorities believed they were linked to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) financial scandal.
Rosmah, her husband Datuk Seri Najib Razak and several family members have filed a claim on the forfeited assets.
However, in August last year, the RM114 million in cash was returned to Najib, who said he kept the money on behalf of Umno. This was not appealed by the prosecution.
Similarly, in November the same year, high court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan ordered for the remaining items to be returned to Najib, Rosmah and other family members after the dismissal of the government’s forfeiture suit.
In July, the government failed in the application to stay the return of the items.
Among the items seized in May 2018 was a US$220,000 (RM966,750) white-gold diamond bracelet, which was initially claimed by Rosmah and Lebanese company Global Royalty Trading SAL.
However, on June 8, Rosmah relinquished her claim, and the bracelet is now being kept in Bank Negara Malaysia’s vaults.
Najib is also filing claims on the remaining seven watches.
On September 1, Rosmah was sentenced to 10 years in jail and a historic RM970 million fine – an amount her defence lawyers labelled as unprecedented eclipsing the RM210 million fine imposed on Najib in the SRC International corruption case. – The Vibes, September 3, 2022
