A staggering 12,009 pieces of jewellery seized from a luxury unit at Pavilion Residences in May 2018, allegedly linked to Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, were valued at approximately RM443.3 million, the High Court heard on Tuesday. The revelation emerged during the second day of a civil suit involving US$14.57 million filed by Lebanese jewellery company, Global Royalty Trading SAL.
Assistant Commissioner Foo Wei Min, who serves in the Anti-Money Laundering Crime Investigation division at Bukit Aman, testified that the valuation was determined following a detailed inspection conducted alongside jewellery experts between 30 May and 25 June 2018. The scale of the seizure, he noted, reflected one of the most high-profile confiscations in recent Malaysian legal history.
According to his witness statement, Foo, who has been with the Royal Malaysia Police since October 2001, said a seizure order was subsequently issued to confiscate all 12,009 items. During the course of investigations, Rosmah, 75, was summoned to assist authorities in relation to the seized assets, including the jewellery collection.
He told the court that Rosmah denied any knowledge of the items being transferred from her Langgak Duta residence to Pavilion Residences, and maintained she had not instructed anyone to do so. She also reportedly did not claim ownership of the items and stated she was unable to identify them, even when shown clear photographs.
The court also heard that the raid was carried out by a team from the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), led by Assistant Commissioner Mohd Sakri Arifin, who executed a search warrant at the condominium unit. Authorities seized multiple items, including 35 bags of assorted currencies, six bags of watches, 25 bags of jewellery, three bags of eyewear, one bag of wallets, and 284 boxes of designer handbags.
Foo further revealed that an application for forfeiture of the seized assets was later filed. In March 2020, the High Court allowed Global Royalty Trading SAL to inspect the jewellery, where it was discovered that only one out of the 44 disputed items belonged to the company. The identified piece was eventually returned to the firm’s representative on 15 September 2022.
In a subsequent development, the Attorney General directed that 9,554 jewellery items be returned to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife on 26 April 2022, with the handover completed shortly after. Later that year, following a High Court decision rejecting the prosecution’s forfeiture bid, an additional 2,431 items were returned to Rosmah’s representative at Bank Negara Malaysia.
The Beirut-based company filed its lawsuit against Rosmah on 29 March 2023, alleging that she had misrepresented the status of 44 jewellery pieces, including diamond necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets, and a tiara. The firm claims that only one item was ever in police custody, while the remaining 43 pieces were unaccounted for.
Global Royalty further alleged that Rosmah had shifted responsibility to the Malaysian government despite the jewellery reportedly going missing. The Inspector-General of Police and the Government of Malaysia have been named as third parties in the case. Proceedings before Judge Datuk Quay Chew Soon are set to continue on Wednesday.
