The 1MDB and 10 others have filed a US$346 million civil action against Rosmah Mansor and another individual over alleged receiving of jewellery and other luxury goods bought with embezzled funds from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.
The 11 plaintiffs filed the writ of summons at the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday, naming the wife of incarcerated former premier Najib Abdul Razak as the first defendant, with one Shabnam Naraindas Daswani as the second defendant.
According to a copy of the writ, the plaintiffs alleged that Rosmah received thousands of items of jewellery, watches and handbags procured by Shabnam, whereby the items were purportedly bought not with the duo's own monies but with funds allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB and the other plaintiffs.
Besides 1MDB, four other plaintiffs comprised the fund's subsidiaries, namely 1MDB Energy Holdings Limited, 1MDB Energy Limited, 1MDB Energy (Langat) Limited, and Global Diversified Investment Company Limited.
The remainder plaintiffs constituted the fund's former subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd, and five companies in liquidation, namely Affinity Equity International Partners Limited, Alsen Chance Holdings Limited, Blackrock Commodities (Global) Limited, Blackstone Asia Real Estate Partners Limited and Brightstone Jewellery Limited.
The plaintiffs said their claim is premised on "equitable proprietary claim and/or unconscionable or knowing receipt of trust property or its traceable proceeds and/or dishonest assistance in breach of trust or fiduciary duty and/or dishonest enrichment".
They claimed that the funds were channelled through various offshore entities, including five of the plaintiffs now in liquidation, before being paid out to 48 different vendors in no less than 14 jurisdictions for the purchases of the luxury goods.
"A total of 320 such payments totalling US$346,010,489 were made," they alleged.
Besides seeking an order to compel Rosmah to pay over US$346 million to them, the plaintiffs also seek for the civil court to compel her and the other defendant to pay damages or equitable compensation to be assessed later, aggravated and/or exemplary damages, among other reliefs sought.
Law firm Lim Chee Wee represented the plaintiffs.
When reached out by Malaysiakini this afternoon, Rosmah's counsel Rajivan Nambiar confirmed that law firm Reza Rahim & Rajivan has been retained to represent her against the civil action.
"As we have thus far only been served with a copy of the writ (without the statement of claim) by the plaintiffs’ solicitors, we urge all parties to refrain from speculating on the matter and from making and/or publishing any statements on the same.
"We shall release a media statement in due course on our client’s legal position upon receiving the plaintiff’s statement of claim," the lawyer said. - Mkini
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