- On June 10, High Court judge Quay Chew Soon allowed the suit filed by Global Royalty Trading SAL against Rosmah Mansor, seeking the return of all 43 jewellery items or payment of their estimated value of US$14.6 million.
- Rosmah's counsel sought a stay of execution on the court order requiring her to pay RM67.4 million to Global Royalty, citing her roughly RM100,000 bank balance.
- Judicial Commissioner Marianne Ghani reserved judgment and fixed Aug 12 to deliver her decision on whether to grant the stay of execution.
- In 2018, Global Royalty stated that luxury jewellery worth RM67,461,027.37 (approximately US$14.57 million) was delivered to Rosmah for viewing under a consignment arrangement, but the items were seized during a police raid.
- Global Royalty filed a legal suit in 2023, seeking the return of the jewellery items or payment for their value after claiming the items were never returned following their seizure.
Rosmah Mansor is appealing a court ruling that requires her to pay US$14.6 million to Lebanese jeweller Global Royalty Trading SAL for 43 pieces of jewellery sent for inspection in 2018. Her lawyer, Reza Rahim, argued that Rosmah's bank account holds only RM100,000, raising concerns about her ability to pay if the appeal succeeds.14
"The plaintiff operates its business in Beirut, Lebanon, and there is no possible way for us to check its fiscal strength (for possible repayment)," Reza stated, emphasizing the lack of evidence regarding the jeweller's financial stability. He noted that the jeweller's affidavit did not provide details of its assets or bank accounts, leaving doubts about its ability to repay.
In contrast, lawyer Venothani Raja Gopal, representing Global Royalty, objected to the stay application, asserting that Rosmah had not demonstrated any financial instability on the jeweller's part. "Speculation is not grounds for special circumstances (to suspend the sum)," she argued, highlighting that the jeweller is an established entity with a wealthy clientele.
The High Court had previously ruled in favor of Global Royalty, which claimed the jewellery was never returned after a police raid in 2018. Only one item was recovered, leading to the current legal battle. Judicial Commissioner Marianne Ghani is expected to announce her decision on the stay request on August 12.3
“At an Aug 5 video-conference hearing, Rosmah's lawyer Reza Rahim called the judgment amount 'very substantive' and said there was 'simply no mechanism' to verify Beirut-based Global Royalty's finances. Judicial Commissioner Marianne Ghani reserved judgment for Aug 12; the jeweller's lawyer countered that 'speculation is not grounds for special circumstances.'”
Malay Mail
