Rosmah withdraws appeal to recuse judge from money laundering case

 

Rosmah Mansor has withdrawn her appeal to recuse judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan from her RM7 million money laundering and tax evasion trial.

This followed on the heels of the case in the High Court in Kuala Lumpur against the wife of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak being transferred to a different judge, as Zaini has been elevated to the Court of Appeal.

Checks on the online cause list showed that the case is now presided by High Court judicial commissioner K Muniandy, with the trial of the case being set for May 12.

When contacted this afternoon, Rosmah’s lawyer Geethan Ram Vincent confirmed the filing of the Notice of Discontinuance of the appeal before the Court of Appeal.

A copy of the notice showed it is dated March 1.

She was appealing against Zaini’s decision to dismiss her application to recuse him from the case.

Previously, it was reported that the prosecution intends to call between 13 and 14 witnesses to testify against Rosmah in the forthcoming trial.

Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, now a Court of Appeal judge

Rosmah faces 12 money laundering counts involving RM7,097,750 and five charges of failing to declare her income to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).

The offences were purportedly committed at Affin Bank Berhad, Bangunan Getah Asli branch, ground Floor, 148 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, between Dec 4, 2013, and June 8, 2017, and the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) office at Kompleks Bangunan Kerajaan, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim, KL, between May 1, 2014, and May 1, 2018.

15 years’ jail if convicted

The money laundering charges are framed under Section 4(1) (a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act and are punishable under Section 4(1) of the Act, with a jail term of up to 15 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the unlawful activity proceeds or RM5 million, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

The tax evasion charges under Section 77(1) of the Income Tax Act 1967 claim that Rosmah failed to furnish returns of her income for the 2013 to 2017 assessment years to the IRB director-general on or before April 30, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 without reasonable excuse, in contravention of Section 112 of the Act.

Rosmah has also been previously convicted and sentenced to 10 years in jail and RM970 million fine by the same judge in a corruption case linked to the solar hybrid energy project for 369 rural schools in Sarawak.

However, the High Court allowed a stay on the execution of the sentence pending her appeal to the Court of Appeal to quash the guilty verdict as well as the jail term and fine.

The Court of Appeal has set July 11 to hear Rosmah’s appeal in the solar graft case. - Mkini