Najib, Rosmah, Lebanese jeweller to inspect 11,991 seized jewellery next month

KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and the owner of Lebanese jewellery firm Global Royalty Trading SAL, Samer Halimeh, are scheduled to inspect 11,991 jewellery pieces that are kept in more than 90 boxes at Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) next month.

The jewellery items were among valuables seized by the police from premises belonging to Obyu Holdings Sdn Bhd at Pavilion Residences in May 2018.

Deputy public prosecutor Faten Hadni Khairuddin when contacted said the parties have agreed to carry out the inspection from October 25 to November 5.

"The inspection will be carried out according to BNM's standard operating procedure (SOP), as well as the National Security Council's (NSC) SOP, due to the spread of COVID-19," she told Bernama after the case management before High Court Judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin today.

The inspection had been several times postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Najib, Rosmah and Global Royalty are the third parties who are staking claim to the jewellery in the forfeiture application against Obyu Holdings, which is owned by Tan Sri Bustari Yusof.

On July 25 last year, Najib and Rosmah had inspected a total of 306 handbags, 401 watches, 16 watch accessories and 234 spectacles which were also seized from the same premises.

In 2019, the prosecution filed a forfeiture application against Obyu Holdings to seize various items, which included 11,991 units of jewellery, 401 watch straps and 16 watch accessories, 234 pairs of spectacles and 306 handbags as well as cash in various denominations amounting to RM114,164,393.44.

The money and jewellery were confiscated by the authorities for allegedly linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund scandal.

-- BERNAMA