KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 1): The High Court has set 15 days next year for Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor's RM7 million money laundering and tax evasion trial.
The trial is set to start in May and spread out through September 2023. The dates are as follows: May 12, June 28 and 30, July 6, 7, 27, 28 and 31, Aug 1, 2 ,11, 24 and 25, as well as Sept 7 and 8.
During a brief mention earlier on Thursday (Dec 1), judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan asked deputy public prosecutor Poh Yih Tinn if these dates are sufficient.
Poh said that the dates would suffice as the prosecution plans to call 12 to 15 witnesses, and some of them would be giving short testimonies.
The judge then pointed out that the pace of the trial will also depend on the cross-examination. To this, Rosmah's counsel Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent replied that the defence will not take too long cross-examining formal witnesses.
Besides Geethan, Rosmah is also represented by Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin and Mohd Reza Rahim in this case.
The matter is set for case management on Feb 20.
Recusal applications set for case management in COA on Dec 23
In another brief mention on Tuesday, Zaini reminded all parties that the case had been pending for four years now, and ought to be given priority. The judge suggested that the trial start in February next year.
However, as the parties' availability differed, they came back with the fresh dates on Thursday.
As it stands, the trial has yet to begin, as Rosmah has filed two applications to recuse Zaini, who also presided over her RM1.25 billion solar hybrid graft case involving 369 rural schools in Sarawak, from presiding over the matter.
The High Court judge dismissed Rosmah's first application on Dec 14 last year and the second on April 25. The wife of jailed former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is appealing against both decisions.
Both appeals were to be heard in the Court of Appeal (COA) last week. However, a three-member panel asked the parties to make further submissions on the matter. The matter is now set for case management on Dec 23.
On Sept 1, Zaini found Rosmah guilty of three charges of graft related to the solar hybrid project, and sentenced her to 10 years in prison and a fine of RM970 million.
She is currently out on bail, pending her appeal against the conviction and sentence in the COA.
As for the tax evasion and money laundering case, Rosmah faces 17 charges involving RM7.1 million that was transferred into her personal bank account between 2013 and 2017. The charges were framed under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
On the first eight counts, she is charged with money laundering by directly engaging in a transaction involving proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to RM1.1 million that were deposited into her account.
On the ninth to 12th counts, she is charged with directly engaging in 227 transactions involving proceeds of unlawful activities totalling RM6 million, which were also deposited into her account.
On the 13th to 17th counts, she is charged with engaging in money laundering by failing to file a return on the sum that was deposited into her account as required under the Income Tax Act 1967.