KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today ordered Lebanese jeweller, Global Royalty Trading SAL to deposit RM75,000 as security for costs in the suit filed by the company against the former prime minister’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor (pix).
Rosmah’s lawyer Rajivan Nambiar told reporters that High Court judge Wong Chee Lin made the order after allowing Rosmah’s application for security for costs upon hearing submissions from both parties in chambers.
Rajivan said the court ordered Global Royalty, as the plaintiff, to place a sum of RM75,000 with the court by Oct 11, failing which Global Royalty’s suit against Rosmah, as the defendant, would be struck out by the court.
Lawyer Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent, also representing Rosmah, said the application for security for costs was filed because Global Royalty is a foreign company with no assets within Malaysia.
“Global Royalty did not file any affidavit to oppose the application,“ he said.
Rajivan told that the court had also granted his client’s application for it to appoint an expert to identify and verify the number of jewellery pieces, which were currently in the custody of Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).
“Of course it is subject to the consent of BNM because BNM says it is worried about the security threat because the jewellerty are kept in the vault.
“So if BNM comes back and tells us that it’s fine, you can go and inspect so that inspection will take place,” the lawyer said.
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 before the seizure by police.
In its suit, Global Royalty claimed that on Feb 10, 2018, it sent 44 pieces of jewellery including diamond necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets and tiaras, each worth US$124,000 (RM519,183) to US$925,000 (RM3.8 million) to the defendant through hand-carry courier via its two agents.
The company said during delivery, Rosmah confirmed and accepted the terms and conditions in Memorandum No. 926 relating to the jewellery.
It also claimed that Rosmah, in a letter dated May 22, 2018, also confirmed and acknowledged receiving the jewellery but said all the jewellery were no longer in her possession, and that these had been confiscated and were being kept by the Malaysian authorities.
Global Royalty is seeking the court’s declaration that the firm is the owner of the 44 pieces of jewellery, apart from an order that ownership of the jewellery was not transferred to the defendant.
It is also seeking a mandatory order for Rosmah to provide a list of the jewellery seized, for these to be returned or for Rosmah to pay the price of the jewellery at US$14.79 million (RM59.83 million). — Bernama
