THE Kuala Lumpur High Court has allowed Najib Razak and his family to inspect items seized from premises linked to them, which include hundreds of branded bags, more than a dozen luxury watches and cash in various currencies.

Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan allowed the former prime minister, his wife Rosmah Mansor and his daughter Nooryana Nawja to examine the items stored in Bank Negara.

“I am of the view that the applicants should be given the opportunity to inspect the goods seized,” Zaini ruled this morning, adding that security concern can be “easily allayed” by the prosecution and the central bank.

Najib and his family must be allowed “ventilate their defence”, he said. “Whether the defence is meritorious will be addressed when deciding on the forfeiture application.”

The judge further ruled that the inspection be conducted on premises designated by the prosecution, that the items be displayed under supervision and carried out within two weeks.

Should Najib and his family wish to file an affidavit in relation to the inspection, they should do so by March 2.

Zaini also allowed a request by Najib’s lead counsel, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, that a solicitor from both sides as well as from the court to be present.

Among the items listed in the motion of notices are 315 handbags of various brands, 14 watches, 27 pairs of shoes of various brands and millions in cash in various currencies. The family claim that the items are gifts and not illicit gains.

Prosecutors on Friday argued that allowing Najib to inspect items would open the “floodgates” in setting a bad precedent in money-laundering cases. They also argued that the removal of the items would damage them.

Rosmah was represented today by Iskandar Shah Ibrahim.

The items confiscated from residences linked to Najib are valued between RM900 million and RM1.1 billion. They include RM440 million worth of jewellery and RM116.7 million cash. 

The seizures were made during raids on Najib’s residence in Jalan Langgak Duta and the condo units in Pavilion Residences, where his son and daughter lived, as well as an vacant unit in the same condominium.

The Pekan MP is facing three ongoing criminal trials. – February 2, 2020.