The Court of Appeal has rejected Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s application for an unconditional stay of a High Court order requiring her to pay about RM67.5 million to Lebanon-based jewellery company Global Royalty Trading SAL.
A three-member bench chaired by Datuk Seri Mohd Firuz Jaffril, with Datuk Amarjeet Singh Serjit and Datuk Aliza Sulaiman, also ordered Rosmah to pay RM30,000 in costs to the company.
Mohd Firuz said Rosmah had failed to provide sufficient grounds for the court to grant an unconditional stay while her appeal is pending.
Global Royalty was also allowed to take the necessary steps to enforce the High Court judgment.
“Datuk David, you can do whatever you want (to enforce the High Court judgment),” he said.
The High Court had on June 10 ordered Rosmah to pay about RM67.5 million within a month following a suit brought by Global Royalty over 43 luxury jewellery items that the company claimed had not been returned.
The company had sought payment from Rosmah after claiming the jewellery could not be accounted for.
On Aug 12, Judicial Commissioner Marianne Antoinette Ghani granted Rosmah a conditional stay, requiring her to place the full judgment sum of about RM67.5 million into a joint account held by the lawyers for both sides within a month.
The arrangement was intended to protect Global Royalty’s claim if Rosmah’s appeal failed while ensuring the funds remained in Malaysia and could be returned to her if she succeeded.
Rosmah subsequently sought an unconditional stay from the Court of Appeal.
Global Royalty had filed the suit on March 29, 2023, alleging that Rosmah had claimed the jewellery, including diamond necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets and a tiara, had been seized by Malaysian authorities under anti-money laundering laws.
The company claimed only one of the 44 jewellery items was in police custody, while the remaining 43 had never been recorded as being held by the authorities.
Global Royalty also alleged that Rosmah had sought to place responsibility for the missing jewellery on the Malaysian government.
