The Malaysian Insight

THE hearing for Rosmah Mansor’s application to recuse Gopal Sri Ram as lead prosecutor and Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan from presiding over her money laundering and tax evasion case was delayed today because she is in quarantine, reported Free Malaysia Today.

Her lawyer, Azrul Zulkifli Stork, told the Kuala Lumpur High Court judge that his client is a Covid-19 close contact and that her quarantine will end tomorrow.

He said fellow counsel Geethan Ram Vincent has contracted the coronavirus and will be in isolation until Wednesday.

Other members of the legal team – Mohamed Reza Abdul Rahim, P. Rajivan Nambiar and Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin – are also close contacts, he added.

Azrul informed the court that papers pertaining to the removal of Sri Ram as an ad hoc prosecutor in the case have not been filed as defence lawyers do not have access to his client’s affidavit.

Zaini then set the resumption of the hearing to February 3, with a reminder that there will be no more adjournment.

Rosmah last week filed an application to recuse Zaini, saying that she will be prejudiced as the latter presides over her solar hybrid graft trial.

This is her second attempt to remove the judge after her first application was rejected last month.

She is also seeking to postpone the trial pending the outcome of her appeal.

Rosmah is facing 12 money laundering charges involving more than RM7 million and five tax evasion charges for failing to declare her income to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).

She allegedly committed the offences at Affin Bank Bhd in Jalan Ampang between December 4, 2013 and June 8, 2017, and the IRB in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim between May 1, 2014 and May 1, 2018.

The money laundering charges are framed under section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, which provides for a jail term of up to 15 years and fine of not less than five times the sum or value of the proceeds of unlawful activity, or RM5 million, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

The tax evasion charges are framed under section 77(1) of the Income Tax Act 1967.

Rosmah allegedly failed to furnish returns of her income for the assessment years 2013 to 2017 to the IRB director-general on or before April 30, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 without reasonable excuse, contrary to section 112 of the law. – January 24, 2022.