Rosmah faces new suit over ‘missing’ RM64mil jewellery
Out of the 12,000 pieces of jewellery seized during the raid, Global Royalty only found a diamond bracelet worth US$220,000 (RM1.01 million), which it said was part of the consignment. The piece has been returned but 43 items remain unaccounted for.
(FMT) – Lebanese jeweller Global Royalty Trading SAL claims Rosmah Mansor acknowledged receipt of the consignment sent to her via a letter dated May 22, 2018 but has not paid for it.
Lebanese jewellery firm Global Royalty Trading SAL has refiled a suit against Rosmah Mansor seeking damages for 43 items of jewellery worth US$14.57 million (RM64.11 million).
The company claimed to have sent the jewels to the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak.
The company says it had shipped the jewellery to Rosmah in February 2018 but they were not among the items confiscated by the police in a raid conducted three months later.
Lawyer Venothani Rajagopal from law firm David Gurupatham & Koay said the plaintiff refiled the suit on March 29 this year at the High Court here.
The suit was fixed for case management today before deputy registrar Rini Triany Ali.
“The court has fixed another case management on May 12 pending service,” she told FMT.
The firm had filed a suit against Rosmah on June 26, 2018 but withdrew it in October 2019, following the government’s forfeiture of valuable items, including jewellery, watches and handbags, as well as cash in raids on several properties, including her house in Jalan Duta.
The jeweller participated in the forfeiture proceedings as a third-party claimant.
In its original suit, Global Royalty claimed that on Feb 10, 2018, it had sent 44 items of jewellery, including diamond necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets and tiaras, each worth between US$124,000 (RM519,183) and US$925,000 (RM3.8 million) to the defendant, hand-delivered via two of its agents.
The company said Rosmah had acknowledged receipt of the items.
The company claimed that Rosmah had, via a letter dated May 22, 2018, confirmed and acknowledged the receipt of the jewellery.
However, she claimed the jewellery was no longer in her possession because it was seized and placed under the custody of the authorities.
In 2019, the prosecution had filed a forfeiture application against Obyu Holdings to seize various items including 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.
However, out of the 12,000 pieces of jewellery seized during the raid, Global Royalty only found a diamond bracelet worth US$220,000 (RM1.01 million), which it said was part of the consignment. The piece has been returned but 43 items remain unaccounted for.
Last November, the government failed in its bid to forfeit almost 12,000 items of jewellery at the High Court.
They were returned to Rosmah following the prosecution’s failure to show the items were purchased from proceeds of unlawful activities related to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
The government did not file any appeal from that decision.
