KUALA LUMPUR: Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor is not letting go a claim on a nearly million ringgit diamond bracelet which is also being pursued by a Lebanese jewellery company, the High Court was told.

       Rosmah’s lawyer Azamuddin Abd Aziz informed Justice Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin that his client wanted to proceed with the claim on the US$220,000 (RM966,350) white gold diamond bracelet which is now stored in Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) vaults.

       Rosmah and Lebanese jewellery firm Global Royalty Trading SAL are staking claim on the bracelet seized along with other items during a police raid on two luxury condominium units in Bukit Bintang in May 2018 in connection with the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) financial scandal, Bernama reported.

       “The pictures of the jewellery would be received today.

       “We need time to seek confirmatory instructions from Rosmah regarding the third party claim,” he said when the matter came up for case management.

       Previously, Rosmah’s legal team had applied for pictures of the seized jewellery to facilitate her claim.

       Global Royalty’s lawyer Datuk David Gurupatham insisted that the bracelet belongs to the jewellery company as it was already verified by an expert from the company during a physical inspection done last year.

       “My Lord, Rosmah did not turn up at BNM for the inspection, and she waived the right for the inspection of the jewellery.

       “For the record, Supt Foo Wei Min, who was the officer in charge, has physically inspected every single piece of the jewels. An expert from Global Royalty also verified that it belonged to the company,” said the counsel.

       In 2019, the prosecution filed the forfeiture application to seize various items including 11,991 items of jewellery, 401 watch straps and 16 watch accessories, 234 pairs of spectacles, and 306 handbags as well as cash in various denominations amounting to RM114,164,393.44.

       During yesterday’s proceedings, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the former prime minister’s present third party claim was only on seven watches and not on the bracelet.

       The lawyer had applied for the court to hold a separate hearing on Najib’s claim regarding the watches.

       Muhammad Shafee asked for the prosecution to amend its notice of motion (regarding the forfeiture suit) to facilitate the separate hearing of the seven watches.

       “In regard to Najib’s claim, it is over seven units of watches. The others are settled. For the prosecution to make an amendment, it is very simple via orally,” Muhammad Shafee said, adding that this would prevent a delay in hearing the rest of the forfeiture claim involving other items.

       Deputy public prosecutor Faten Hadni Khairuddin told the court that the prosecution needed time to file a proper application to amend the notice of motion.

       Justice Muhammad Jamil fixed June 8 for case management.