THE Court of Appeal today allowed an application from Rosmah Mansor to postpone her two appeals slated to be heard next week.

The two appeals are linked to her corruption trial in connection with a RM1.25 billion government contract to equip rural schools in Sarawak with solar energy.

The wife of former prime minister Najib Razak is filing to recuse the judge, Zaini Mazlan, who presided over the trial, as well as appealing against the conviction and sentence he handed down last year.

A three-member bench today allowed Rosmah’s application to postpone the appeal proceedings.

Judge Azizah Nawawi, who chaired the panel, said the court was minded to grant the adjournment because it was Rosmah’s first application for a postponement.

“We are allowing the application as the grounds put forward go to the root of the appeal,” he was quoted as saying on Free Malaysia Today.

Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim and S. Komathy were the other two judges on the panel.

Azizah noted the prosecution did not object to the adjournment.

Rosmah’s lawyer, Jagjit Singh, emphasised the need for the adjournment as Rosmah has filed an application with the Federal Court to initiate judicial review proceedings aimed at nullifying the trial. The motion is scheduled for case management on August 4.

Deputy public prosecutor K. Mangai informed the bench that she was instructed not to oppose the application.

Rosmah’s appeal is centred on Zaini’s refusal to disqualify himself from overseeing her corruption trial. The Court of Appeal was to have heard the case on July 12-14.

Last year, on September 1, Zaini dismissed Rosmah’s last-minute application seeking his recusal. She had sought to disqualify the judge after a draft version of his judgment, allegedly prepared by third parties, was published by blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin. 

Rosmah said she had lost confidence in Zaini over the incident. On the same day, Zaini found her guilty of soliciting RM187.5 million and receiving bribes totalling RM6.5 million. 

She was sentenced to three concurrent 10-year jail terms. – July 7, 2023.