Lebanese firm: Not all 44 jewellery pieces in custody

KUALA LUMPUR: A Lebanese jewellery firm, which filed a RM60mil suit against Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor over 44 pieces of jewellery, has claimed that not all pieces were in the custody of the authority.

Global Royalty Trading SAL filed the suit against Rosmah on June 26 last year, seeking the return of the 44 pieces of jewellery sent to her for selection or payment for all the items amounting to US$14.79mil or almost RM60mil.

Representing the jeweller, lawyer Datuk David Gurupatham told reporters that his client had inspected the seized jewellery and made a statement to the police that not all the pieces were there.

“I can’t say how many pieces are there because we have not filed the necessary documents. Once we’ve filed it, we would be able to explain the position. So, this has to be verified,” he replied to a question on how many pieces of the jewellery belonged to his client were in the custody of the authority.

Gurupatham said his client had sought to become an intervenor in the government’s forfeiture suit against the items seized before High Court judge Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan.

“We have written to the Attorney General’s Chambers to ask for the details of the forfeiture suit. They have replied and so now, we will intervene in the action.

“We will verify whether the pieces of jewellery are there and what are not there. Then, we will proceed with the trial,” he told reporters after the matter came up for case management before High Court judge Justice Wong Chee Lin.

The court, he said, had fixed Aug 19 for case management, and trial on Sept 17 and from Oct 21 to 24.

On May 7, the Attorney General’s Chambers filed a notice of forfeiture of hundreds of items, including branded handbags and 27 vehicles seized from former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Rosmah, their three children, and 13 individuals and companies.

The case has been set for case management on July 8 before Justice Mohamed Zaini.

Last Feb 14, the High Court ordered Rosmah to check and confirm in seven days the existence of the 44 pieces of jewellery that were in her possession but allegedly seized by police.

In its suit, Global Royalty claimed that on Feb 10, 2018, it had sent 44 pieces of jewellery, including diamond necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets and tiaras, each worth between US$124,000 and US$925,000 to the defendant with hand-carry courier via two agents.

The company said during the delivery, Rosmah confirmed and accepted the terms as well as conditions in Memorandum No. 926 relating to the jewellery.