Rosmah Allegedly Borrowed Jewellery From Lebanon. Now She's Getting Sued For Them
The jewellery were seized by the police in 1MDB-linked raids.
By Jia Vern Tham — 10 Jul 2018, 03:02 PM
Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, wife of former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak, is being sued for nearly RM60 million over her borrowed jewellery that were seized in raids linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) probe
A Malaysiakini exclusive revealed that a jeweller based in Beirut, Lebanon, filed a suit against the former first lady over a consignment of 44 pieces of jewellery.
The suit was filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on 26 June through the law firm of David Gurupatham And Koay.
Police showing the jewellery seized in 1MDB-linked raids, which allegedly includes the 44 pieces of jewellery owned by the Lebanese jeweller.
Image via Free Malaysia TodayThe Lebanese jeweller is seeking a court declaration that it is the rightful owner of the jewellery, and wants an order for the former first lady to return all 44 pieces of it.
"Alternatively, if she (Rosmah) cannot return all the jewellery, she is responsible for paying us the cost of the jewellery of USD14.8 million (approximately RM60 million)," the jeweller said.
Rosmah received the jewellery in February, but they were all seized by the police in May.
In light of Malaysiakini's report, a senior federal counsel who appeared at the High Court registrar earlier today revealed that the government will be intervening in the suit
Senior federal counsel Narkunavathy Sundareson told Free Malaysia Today that the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) had only found out about the suit recently.
She added that the AGC will be arguing that the 44 pieces of jewellery were bought with stolen money, and hence, they belong to the Malaysian government. Rosmah had also been ordered by the court to file her defence statement by 23 July.
According to Malaysiakini, the case management has been fixed on 27 July.
The jeweller alleged that the 44 pieces received by Rosmah in February this year cost between USD124,000 (approximately RM502,000) and USD925,000 (approximately RM3.7 million) each
The jewellery received by Rosmah included diamond necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, and a tiara.
"She (Rosmah) had acknowledged in writing on receiving the consignment. However, it is no longer in her custody as it had been seized by the Malaysian authorities," the jeweller wrote in a statement of claim, according to Malaysiakini.
The jeweller, Global Royalty Trading SAL, claimed to have customers across the world, including royal families. However, at the time of writing, information regarding the jeweller remained scarce.
Over the years, Rosmah, a longtime customer of the Beirut-based jeweller, would receive a consignment of jewellery in line with her demands
The consignment would be evaluated before being paid for by the former first lady, or by a third party. Furthermore, the borrowed jewellery were usually handed over to Rosmah or her agent in either Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, or Dubai.
The jewellery that were not chosen by Rosmah would be returned to the Beirut-based jeweller.