HIGH Court judge Mohamad Zaini Mazlan today berated Rosmah Mansor’s lead counsel Jagjit Singh for failing to ensure his client complied with a court order. 

On October 15, Zaini had allowed Rosmah’s application for her passport to be temporarily returned and to visit her then-pregnant daughter Nooryana Najwa in Singapore. 

She was ordered to return to Malaysia on or before November 21 and to return her passport to the authorities by December 6.

Rosmah, however, did not comply with the court order as she failed to return to the country on the said date. 

This was only discovered when she missed her appointed date at the Court of Appeal on December 2 for proceedings to disqualify the lead prosecutor in her ongoing graft trial and to have the trial nullified.

The Court of Appeal then adjourned proceedings to Monday (December 6) and ordered for Rosmah to appear at the court physically. 

Although Zaini was said to have been informed about the issue via media reports, the High Court judge wanted an explanation from Jagjit himself on why his client defied court order. 

Jagjit took full responsibility and said that there was a change in his client’s travel plans after taking into consideration the newly implemented Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) arrangement.

Announced on November 24, after Rosmah’s return was due, those travelling under the VTL would not have to undergo quarantine upon arrival and only need to take two Covid-19 tests before entering either Malaysia or Singapore.

However, Zaini was unimpressed with Jagjit’s explanation and said that the lawyer should have exercised his duty better. 

“I understand the change in government policy but that doesn’t change my order.

“Why I am mentioning this, is that a court order is sacrosanct, it has to be respected. I would have been minded to grant an extension based on the change in the government’s policy but it doesn’t change the fact that a court order must be respected. 

“I’m sure you know this having served for the past 30 or 40 years? You should have done better,” Zaini said. 

Zaini then told Jagjit that he had often been in the line of fire for his client. 

Lead prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram then said he also raised the matter during proceedings at the Court of Appeal. 

Sri Ram had asked the appellate judges to issue Rosmah a warrant of arrest and revoke her bail.

However, the court’s three-member bench chaired by judges Hanipah Farikullah, M. Gunalan and Hashim Hamzah made a unanimous decision to withhold the arrest warrant.

The 69-year-old wife of former prime minister Najib Razak faces three corruption charges, one of which is for soliciting RM187.5 million as inducement to help a company secure a RM1.25 billion contract to equip 369 schools with solar energy.

She is also accused of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5 million in 2016 and 2017. – December 8, 2021.