Court to rule on Rosmah's bid to stay RM67.5mil payment on Aug 12

KUALA LUMPUR – Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor's application to stay a court order requiring her to pay nearly RM67.5 million in damages over the loss of 43 pieces of jewellery will be decided on Aug 12.

Judicial Commissioner Marianne Antoinette Ghani fixed the date after hearing submissions from the parties via Zoom.

At today's proceedings, Rosmah was represented by lawyer Reza Rahim, while jewellery firm Global Royalty Trading SAL, the owner of the items, was represented by lawyer Venothani Rajagopal.

On June 10, High Court judge Datuk Quay Chew Soon ordered Rosmah to pay RM67,461,027.37 in damages within one month from the date of the decision, after finding her liable for the loss of 43 pieces of jewellery worth US$14.57 million.

The court also ordered her to pay RM150,000 in costs to Global Royalty Trading SAL and to the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), which was named as a third party in the suit.

Reza argued that there were special circumstances justifying a stay, and that there was no need to direct his client to place the damages in a special account pending appeal.

"At this point, all assets linked to the defendant (Rosmah) have been frozen through a Mareva injunction in a separate case. The plaintiff need not worry about losing the damages because it has been 'locked'. My client currently has only one bank account with about RM100,000," he said.

He added that the affidavit filed by the Lebanon-based company was inadmissible as the foreign entity is not listed under the First Schedule of the Reciprocal Enforcement of Judgments Act 1958 (REJA).

Venothani countered that the objection to the affidavit was an afterthought as it had never been disputed until the decision was handed down. She said existing injunctions did not provide sufficient security as they only restrained dealings in certain assets.

"Therefore, if this court intends to allow a stay, it should be granted conditionally, namely that the defendant pays the entire judgment sum with interest, deposited into a trustee account until the appeal is disposed of," she said.

On March 29, 2023, Global Royalty Trading SAL sued Rosmah, claiming she had falsely stated that 44 pieces of jewellery — including diamond necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets and a tiara — handed to her by the company's agent had been seized by Malaysian authorities. The company claimed only one of the 44 items was in police custody.