KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court will rule on Rosmah Mansor’s application to recuse judge Zaini Mazlan from presiding in her money laundering and tax evasion trial on Monday.
Lawyer Geethan Ram Vincent, who is a member of the legal team appearing for the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak, said the court informed them of the date recently.
The ruling had been scheduled to be delivered on March 21, after Zaini had heard submissions from the defence and prosecution on March 2.
“The court has now fixed the decision for Monday afternoon,” Vincent told FMT.
Zaini is expected to proceed with Rosmah’s second application to disqualify ad-hoc prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram from leading the prosecution team if she fails to recuse the judge.
Lawyer Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin had submitted that his client had no confidence that Zaini would remain consciously independent as the judge was a “mere human and not a robot”.
Zaini is also the judge in her ongoing corruption trial over the RM1.25 billion Sarawak rural schools’ solar hybrid energy project.
Rosmah wants another judge to hear the money laundering and tax evasion case which has yet to begin.
This application to recuse Zaini was filed on Jan 11 and Firoz had submitted that it was based on wider grounds.
Ad-hoc prosecutor Sri Ram had submitted that the recusal application should be dismissed as Zaini had already ruled on Dec 14 that he was capable of hearing the money laundering and tax evasion trial.
Sri Ram said this was an abuse of the court process and that Rosmah should be stopped from bringing the recusal application in instalments.
Sri Ram said Rosmah’s present case was separate and distinct from the corruption trial.
Rosmah is facing 12 money laundering charges involving RM7,097,750, and five counts of failure to declare her income to the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN).
She is accused of committing the offences between Dec 4, 2013 and June 8, 2017. - FMT
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