Share to help stimulate good governance, ensure future of people & M’sia
No News Is Bad News
Rosmah “Fat Mama” Mansor
Fat Mama’s bid to strike out 17 money laundering and tax evasion charges
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12, 2024: Rosmah “Fat Mama” Mansor will know on Dec 19 whether her 17 money laundering and tax evasion charges will proceed for hearing in the High Court.
Justice K Muniandy today fixed the date after hearing submissions from deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib and lawyers for the wife of disgraced former prime minister Najib “1MDB” Razak.
Rosmah, 72, is standing trial on 12 money laundering charges involving RM7.09 million and five charges of failing to declare her income to the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN).
Rosmah, who is accused of committing the offences between Dec 4, 2013 and June 8, 2017, was charged on Oct 4, 2018.
Meanwhile, in another case, Rosmah wants to recuse the trial judge who convicted her in the RM1.25 billion Sarawak rural schools’ solar energy project corruption case.
The Court of Appeal had fixed March 5 to hear Rosmah’s appeal to recuse the judge who convicted her in the RM1.25 billion Sarawak rural schools’ solar energy project corruption case.
No News Is Bad News reproduces below two news reports of the separate court proceedings:
Dec 19 decision on Rosmah’s bid to strike out 17 charges
-12 Nov 2024, 02:51 PM
The prosecution says the trial should resume as the charges are good in law and witnesses are allowed to give evidence to prove their case.
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court will decide on Dec 19 whether to allow Rosmah Mansor’s application to strike out her 17 money laundering and tax evasion charges or continue with the trial.
Justice K Muniandy fixed the date after hearing submissions from deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib and lawyers for the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak.
Rosmah, 72, is standing trial on 12 money laundering charges involving RM7.09 million and five charges of failing to declare her income to the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN).
Rosmah, who is accused of committing the offences between Dec 4, 2013 and June 8, 2017, was charged on Oct 4, 2018.
Her trial started on Aug 24 last year with two prosecution witnesses taking the stand, but was stalled after she filed the striking-out application two weeks later on Sept 6.
Today, Akram submitted that the charges were good in law as the prosecution had met all the requirements under the Criminal Procedure Code.
“The notice given to her is obvious for her to mount any defence in response to the charges,” he said.
Akram said the trial should resume for the prosecution to adduce evidence through its witnesses.
“Allow us to prove the ingredients of the charges. The court could order her to enter her defence if a prima facie case has been established.
“(Or) the court could acquit her without her defence being called after evaluating the prosecution’s case,” he said, adding that Rosmah’s application to annul the charges were premature.
Rosmah’s lawyers said the charges were groundless, defective and unconstitutional, and contended that she should be acquitted and discharged.
Lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad also submitted that the charges did not disclose any offence. “The trial should not proceed when the foundation of the charges is shaky and unsubstantiated,” he said.
Amer said Muniandy could use his inherent and original jurisdiction to strike out the charges as the trial started before him.
Deputy public prosecutors Mustaffa P Kunyalam, Poh Yih Tinn and T Deepa Nair also appeared for the prosecution.
Lawyers Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin, Reza Rahim and Joshua Tay are also representing Rosmah.
Appeals court to hear Rosmah’s bid to recuse trial judge on March 5
-12 Nov 2024, 04:23 PM
Rosmah Mansor wants to recuse the trial judge who convicted her in the RM1.25 billion Sarawak rural schools’ solar energy project corruption case.
In September 2022, Rosmah Mansor was convicted in the RM1.25 billion Sarawak rural schools’ solar energy project corruption case. (Bernama pic)
PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has fixed March 5 to hear Rosmah Mansor’s appeal to recuse the trial judge who convicted her in the RM1.25 billion Sarawak rural schools’ solar energy project corruption case.
Lawyer Akberdin Abdul Kader, a member of Rosmah’s legal team, said the date was decided after case management before deputy registrar Noor Firdaus Rosli today.
Firdaus gave parties the liberty to file additional submissions, which must be filed by February.
A Court of Appeal bench will first hear Rosmah’s appeal to disqualify trial judge Zaini Mazlan from hearing the case, allegedly on grounds that certain third parties had prepared a draft of the judgment for him.
If the court refuses to grant the recusal, it will proceed to hear the merits of Rosmah’s appeal against her conviction and sentence on March 19.
Deputy public prosecutor Ng Siew Wee represented the prosecution.
On Sept 1, 2022, Zaini, now a Court of Appeal judge, dismissed a last-minute application by Rosmah to stop him from presiding over her case.
Rosmah had sought to disqualify Zaini after a purported draft of his judgment was published by the late controversial blogger, Raja Petra Kamarudin.
She claimed that the judge ought not to preside over the case since she had lost confidence in him. Zaini dismissed the application.
On the same day, Zaini convicted her of soliciting RM187.5 million from former Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin through her former aide, Rizal Mansor, as an inducement to help the company secure the solar project.
She was also convicted of receiving bribes amounting to RM5 million from Saidi, through Rizal, at Seri Perdana in Putrajaya on Dec 20, 2016, and another charge of receiving RM1.5 million from Saidi at Jalan Langgak Duta on Sept 7, 2017.
Zaini sentenced her to 10-year jail terms for each of the three charges but ordered them to run concurrently. He also ordered her to pay a RM970 million fine.
The court also ordered Rosmah to serve another 10 years in prison after her initial sentence if she fails to pay the fine.
No comments:
Post a Comment