Najib, Rosmah get photos of items seized by authorities last year

The authorities today surrendered a bundle of photographs to former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor to identify items seized from them last year.

The government lawyers in its civil forfeiture suit related to the 1MDB case agreed to hand the photographs to the couple's lawyers to identify which items they have purchased and which were given to them.

According to the proceedings before High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan this morning, the government counsel had initially agreed to surrender the colour photographs but with one condition - which is for the couple to forego their application to inspect the seized items physically.

However, Najib's lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah objected to this.

Shafee told the court that he would not be able to consult his client without having the photographs to show in the first place.

"Let us have the photo (first), let us show the client. The judge can set a date for mention.

"We will inform (the court) then if the photographs are adequate," he told the court.

Justice Zaini then allowed Shafee's request and ordered for the photographs to be given to the counsel for Najib and Rosmah.

The judge then set 8.30am on Nov 15 for case mention to hear from the counsel whether Najib and Rosmah would be able to identify all items based on the photographs, or if they would still want to go with the application to inspect the items physically.

Besides Shafee, Najib was also represented by Syahirah Hanafiah and Nurfazleen Hazrina Rahim, while Rosmah was represented by Iskandar Shah Ibrahim, Azrul Zulkifli Stork, Asmadi Hussin and Azamuddin Abdul Aziz.

The government was represented by deputy public prosecutors Fatnin Yusof, Faten Hadni Khairuddin, Harris Ong, Mohd Shukri and Gan Sha Chee Keong.

In May, the government and police filed two civil forfeiture suits against Najib, Rosmah and several others to seize a total of RM711 million worth of luxury items, including 27 luxury cars and property, from these individuals.

They are seeking to forfeit the items as they were purportedly bought with money siphoned from troubled sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.

Following this, the High Court had also allowed an application by the government to publish a notice calling for third parties with interest in the seized assets to file their claims. - Mkini