Lebanese jeweller fails in bid to enter summary judgment against Rosmah
Published on: Tuesday, November 28, 2023
By: FMT
Lebanese jeweller Global Royalty Trading SAL is suing Rosmah Mansor for US$14.57 million, being the value of jewellery delivered to her in February 2018.
Kuala Lumpur: The High Court here has dismissed a bid by a Lebanese jeweller to enter a summary judgment against Rosmah Mansor in a lawsuit filed over jewellery valued at US$14.57 million.
The suit by Global Royalty Trading SAL involves 43 pieces of jewellery.
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Rosmah’s lawyers, Reza Rahim and Rajivan Nambiar, said Justice Ong Chee Kuan held that a summary judgment was not proper as there were issues that needed to be tried in the hearing.
They also said the court had allowed Rosmah’s application for security costs against Global Royalty, and ordered the jeweller to pay RM75,000 as security costs to the court.
The court fixed Dec 14 for the next case management.
Global Royalty filed the suit against Rosmah in March, claiming she had failed to return the 43 items of jewellery.
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The suit was the second one filed in respect of the claim.
Global Royalty said it had sent 44 items of jewellery to Rosmah, including diamond necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets and tiaras, each worth between US$124,000 and US$925,000.
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The jeweller said the items were hand-delivered by two of its agents. The company said Rosmah had, in a letter dated May 22, 2018, acknowledged receipt of the items.
However, Rosmah claimed the jewellery was no longer in her possession as it had been seized following a raid conducted by authorities on several properties, including Rosmah’s home at Jalan Duta. Also seized were designer watches and handbags, as well as a large stash of cash.
In 2019, the government filed a forfeiture application against Obyu Holdings, the owner of the condominiums where part of the raid was conducted.
The government sought to forfeit the seized items, which included 11,991 units of jewellery, 401 watch straps, 16 watch accessories, 234 pairs of spectacles and 306 handbags as well as cash in various denominations amounting to RM114,164,393.44.
In a subsequent inspection, Global Royalty found one diamond bracelet worth US$220,000.
In November last year, the government’s forfeiture application was dismissed by the High Court. The court held that the prosecution had failed to show that the items had been purchased from the proceeds of unlawful activities related to 1MDB.
The government did not appeal the decision.
The jewellery and other seized items were subsequently returned to Rosmah.
An earlier action, filed in June 2018, was withdrawn in October 2019.
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