KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 — Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s application to recuse the High Court judge presiding in her RM7 million money laundering case has been postponed again.
Lead prosecution Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram said they received an affidavit for today’s application from the defence counsel on Monday and were unable to respond to it in time due to the public holidays on Monday and Tuesday for the Chinese New Year.
Presiding judge Justice Mohd Zaini asked Rosmah’s lawyer Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin why he had sent the affidavit to recuse the judge so late to which Firoz responded they had done so on Jan 28, 2022 but they had to fix an error in the application and refile them.
Justice Zaini then asked why the stay of application for the case couldn’t be argued today while they sorted out the affidavits for the recusal of Sri Ram and the case itself to which Firoz said they would have to move in sequence.
“That being said I feel we can’t do anything today, let’s fix February 17, 2022, to listen to all three cases,” said Justice Zaini.
“Going by sequence if your application is dismissed one by one we can hear all applications in one day but I have not made up my mind and I’m just giving advance notice in case things run in sequence,” he added.
Rosmah faces 12 money laundering counts involving RM7,097,750 and five charges of failing to declare her income to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).
The offences were purportedly committed at Affin Bank Berhad, Bangunan Getah Asli branch, ground Floor, 148 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, between Dec 4, 2013, and June 8, 2017, and the IRB office at Kompleks Bangunan Kerajaan, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim, KL, between May 1, 2014, and May 1, 2018.
The money laundering charges are framed under Section 4(1) (a) of Amla, and punishable under Section 4(1) of the Act, with a jail term of up to 15 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the unlawful activity proceeds or RM5 million, whichever is higher.
The tax evasion charges under Section 77(1) of the Income Tax Act 1967, claimed that Rosmah failed to furnish returns of her income — for the 2013 to 2017 assessment years — to the IRB director-general on or before April 30, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 without reasonable excuse, in alleged contravention of Section 112 of the Act.
Source: Malay Mail
