A moment of levity briefly broke the tension at the High Court today when Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor interjected with “Can I say something?”, prompting laughter during proceedings over a multimillion-ringgit jewellery dispute.
The remark, made while she was testifying in her defence, appeared to draw parallels with her previously viral “Can I advise you something?” phrase, momentarily softening what had otherwise been a tense and closely followed civil hearing.
Rosmah, the wife of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, is currently facing a lawsuit filed by Lebanese jewellery firm Global Royalty Trading SAL, which is seeking the return of numerous high-value items allegedly sent for viewing in 2018.
During her testimony, she told the court she had taken steps to safeguard the jewellery, which reportedly included diamond necklaces, rings, bracelets and a tiara, and maintained that the items were no longer in her possession as they had been seized during a police operation.
The proceedings grew tense earlier when plaintiff’s counsel Datuk David Gurupatham questioned her on whether she had regularly received jewellery worth millions without proper documentation. Rosmah responded that she was trying to calculate the figures in her head before agreeing, while also asking for time to respond and rejecting claims of harassment.
She further told the court that she had signed certain documents related to the jewellery while under pressure and in a confused state, as police operations were taking place at her residence at the time.
Rosmah also admitted she could not recall the exact number of jewellery pieces involved, despite references to large-scale seizures in 2018, but insisted she would still be able to identify the items if shown to her.
The courtroom moment when she again asked, “Can I say something?” drew a light-hearted response from counsel, who remarked on the familiarity of the phrase, triggering brief amusement among those present.
Global Royalty Trading SAL’s suit, filed on June 26, 2018, seeks an order for the return of 43 pieces of jewellery valued between US$124,000 and US$925,000 each, which it claims were delivered to Rosmah via hand-carry courier for viewing purposes.
