By Tarani Palani | The Edge Malaysia
Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s case related to her solar graft appeal has been postponed yet again.
The apex court on Wednesday granted an adjournment on the request of Rosmah’s counsels as their client was unable to attend court as she had sustained a fall and was on medical leave.
A three-member panel, led by Federal Court judge Datuk Nordin Hassan, granted a short adjournment, but not before sternly reminding parties that this case, which has been pending for some time, has to be dispensed with.
The matter will be heard on March 3 before the same panel.
One of Rosmah’s counsels, Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader, had asked for the panel to consider a date after Hari Raya, which falls around March 21.
He highlighted that as Rosmah was represented by a team of lawyers, the individual counsels already had their dates blocked for other cases in early March.
To this, Nordin said that the apex court will give instructions to the lower courts to postpone those cases.
“This case should be a priority. It is a public interest case. We want to finish it.
“We have given the order for the hearing to be heard on March 3. We are giving you a postponement based on your request — or do you wish to hear the case without your client?” said Nordin, who sat alongside judges Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali and Datuk Azimah Omar.
Wednesday was initially slated for Rosmah’s final appeal to recuse judge Datuk Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, who had presided over her graft trial, and to declare the proceedings, which had ended in 2022, a nullity.
The Court of Appeal (COA) had dismissed her appeal in September last year, on the grounds that there was no real danger of bias in Mohamed Zaini presiding over the graft trial, which pertains to a solar hybrid project for 369 rural schools in Sarawak.
Rosmah’s main appeal in the solar case has yet to begin even though the verdict was delivered in 2022. Her lawyers wanted to dispense with the recusal application first, and it has been slowly making its way through the various appeal levels.
Rosmah seeking to recuse apex court judges
Rosmah, who is the wife of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, was found guilty on all three counts of graft and was sentenced to 10 years’ jail and fined a whopping RM970 million — the largest amount ever imposed by the High Court for a graft case.
Earlier, one of Rosmah’s other counsels, Datuk Jagjit Singh, made an application to recuse both judge Nordin and Che Ruzima from the panel, on the grounds that they had heard cases related to Rosmah previously. He added that he was acting on instructions.
To this, Che Ruzima highlighted that the case he presided over had nothing to do with the subject matter of the present case.
Nordin said that this was the court of law, where parties were guided based on the law and that Jagjit ought to have advised his client accordingly.
The recusal application was later dismissed.
“We have the responsibility to hear cases in court. The application is dismissed,” Nordin said.
Azrul Zulkifli Stork, Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin and Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad appeared for Rosmah on Wednesday.
The prosecution was led by Appellate and Trial Division (Trials Unit) head at the Attorney General’s Chambers, Mangaiarkarasi Krishnan.
Edited By Aniza Damis
