THE government has been ordered to disclose whether it had seized jewellery worth RM60 million as part of investigations into state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd in May.

Judicial commissioner Wong Chee Lin made the order after government lawyers told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today it could not confirm whether the 44 pieces of Global Royalty Trading SAL jewellery were part of the 12,000-piece haul by the police from raids on premises linked to former prime minister Najib Razak.

The jewellery was said to have been loaned to his wife, Rosmah Mansor.

“I’m urging the government to come back in two weeks’ time with an affidavit in reply on the 44 pieces of jewellery, and to seek the defendant’s (Rosmah) help in identifying the items,” Wong said.

It also set March 4 and 5 next year for trial after throwing out Rosmah’s bid to strike out the suit.

“She (Rosmah) is the best person to prove in trial if she saw the items taken away, and whether she received a notice under the anti-money laundering law for the seizure of the jewellery,” he said.

The Malaysian Insight reported today that two foreign jewellers did not know the whereabouts of millions of ringgit worth of jewellery said to have been delivered to Rosmah but for which they had yet to be paid for.

Their lawyers said they had not been told by the police as to whether the items were seized in May along with some 12,000 pieces of jewellery during the raids.

Police had confiscated 2,200 rings, 1,400 necklaces, 2,100 bracelets, 2,800 pairs of earrings, 1,600 brooches and 14 tiaras. The haul, the biggest in Malaysian history, was valued at RM1.1 billion.

Lebanese jeweller Samer Halimeh has filed a suit seeking compensation for 44 pieces of jewellery worth RM60 million he had handed over to Rosmah, for which she had not paid. Rosmah has filed an application to strike out the suit, saying anti-money laundering laws did not allow claims for assets seized by police.

In his recent affidavit, Halimeh said he had yet to receive confirmation from police on whether they were in possession of the jewellery in question.

Dubai-based jeweller Adi Hasan AlFardan was also seeking to recover jewellery worth more than US$5 million (RM20.75 million) delivered to Rosmah. He claimed he, too, had not been paid.

The missing pieces are a yellow diamond cushion-cut necklace, a pair of yellow diamond cushion-cut earrings and a yellow diamond heart-shaped necklace.

In court today, Rosmah’s lawyers Rajivan Nambiar and Reza Rahim disputed the status of Halimeh’s 44 pieces of jewellery.

“(Rosmah) took the position that the items were seized, but the government could not confirm it. Now, this is up in the air,” Rajivan said. – October 11, 2018.