High Court allows hearing of application by Rosmah to inspect assets in RM680m 1MDB-OBYU forfeiture suit

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 18): The High Court will hear an application by Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and her two children to physically inspect assets seized by the government in its RM680 million 1MDB forfeiture suit against OBYU Holdings Sdn Bhd.

This follows the dismissal of a preliminary objection by DPP Fatnin Yusof against the hearing of Rosmah’s application, made on the technical ground that the applicant did not submit an affidavit to appear as a third party in the forfeiture suit.

Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah however dismissed the objection, as Rosmah had already indicated on Sept 3 that she would come in as a third party in response to the gazette of the forfeiture notice, prior to that. 

As such, Collin has set Nov 29 for hearing of the application.

Lawyer Iskandar Shah Ibrahim, who is representing Rosmah and her two children, submitted the application to receive coloured photographs of the assets, to physically inspect the assets, and to postpone their submission of affidavits as third parties, pending completion of the inspection.

In a separate High Court session earlier this week, Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan allowed Rosmah and daughter Nooryana Najwa Najib, as well as former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, to receive coloured photographs of items seized in a separate RM31 million asset forfeiture suit filed against them and several others. 

This follows an application that is of similar nature to what was heard today — although it has yet to be decided whether physical inspection of the assets will be permitted.

In the action against OBYU, the government is seeking 11,991 pieces of jewellery, 401 watches and 16 units of watch accessories, 234 spectacles and 306 handbags that were seized by the police on May 17 last year, as well as cash amounting to RM114.16 million seized on Jan 31, 2019.

A property referred to as Lot PT80 in Kuala Lumpur seized on Nov 1, 2018, is also on the list of items sought.

Rosmah and her children Nooryana Najwa and Norashman Najib, are seeking to claim jewellery and other accessories which are among 11,991 items the authorities want to seize. Also seeking to claim the same assets was Lebanese jeweller Global Royalty Trading SAL. 

Meanwhile, political party Umno and its former president Najib are seeking to claim the currencies.

The High Court had previously set Oct 31 as the date of the OBYU forfeiture hearing, and instructed all interested third parties to file their applications and supporting affidavits for their claims before then.

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