Legal firm discharged from representing 1MDB in diamond necklace suit
KUALA LUMPUR: Counsels for 1MDB have chosen to discharge themselves from the lawsuit by former Batu Kawan Umno vice-chief Khairuddin Abu Hassan.
Datuk Tan Hock Chuan told reporters outside the courtroom yesterday that they applied to discharge themselves and the court has approved their application.
"We have applied to discharge ourselves because we cannot get instructions from the client. The court has granted our application to discharge ourselves. At the moment they (IMDB) have no counsel but we will inform them," he said.
The court has fixed June 21 for case management.
Meanwhile, Damien Chan who represented Khairuddin said that the application to strike out the plaintiff's claim has been vacated.
"All applications to strike out the plaintiffs claim is vacated, as currently 1MBD is not represented because the lawyers discharged themselves," Chan told reporters.
He added that they would be seeking further instructions from Khairuddin as the auditor report on 1MDB has been declassified.
Counsel for Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Yazid Mustaqim Roslan said that they would need to update the court as there is an on-going investigation on 1MDB.
Yesterday, the High Court dismissed the application to drag Jho Low to take the witness stand.
Khairuddin named Rosmah, Jho Low and 1MDB as defendants in the suit filed over the 22-carat pink diamond, said to be worth US$23.7 million, and the necklace, which is estimated to be worth US$4.3 million.
In his suit, he claimed that Low acted through his agent, Eric Tan, to purchase jewellery from Lorraine Schwartz in New York for the sum of US$27.3 million, which is claimed to be from misappropriated 1MDB funds between June 2013 and March 2014.
He alleged that the jewellery was given to Rosmah sometime in March 2014 and that it should be returned to 1MDB, along with the money Low allegedly misappropriated from the firm.
He added that since Rosmah gave no consideration to the said necklace, she has no title in law or equity to it, meaning that 1MDB was entitled to have it back.
US$1 = RM3.97