KUALA LUMPUR (June 26): Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor is seeking to adjourn the hearing of her appeal against a High Court verdict of guilt last year for corruption in the RM1.25 billion solar hybrid project for rural schools in Sarawak.
The Court of Appeal (COA) is scheduled to hear the appeal in July but the wife of imprisoned former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has applied for the adjournment as she wants another related appeal to be disposed of first at the Federal Court.
The appeal at the apex court relates to the COA decision last Thursday that dismissed her challenge of the late Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram’s appointment as lead prosecutor in her case and to nullify the abovementioned graft trial via a judicial review (JR).
Rosmah's counsel, Azrul Zulkifli Stork confirmed the matter with The Edge when contacted.
"Yes. We wrote to the president of the COA, to enable the JR to be disposed of first. Awaiting the court's consideration for our application," he said.
Court yet to make decision on adjournment
During case management on Monday (June 26), COA deputy registrar Dr Syahliza Warnoh said that there were no objections to the adjournment application by the prosecution.
Speaking to the press following case management, deputy public prosecutor Poh Yih Tinn said that the court has yet to make any decision on the postponement sought.
"The (deputy) registrar informed parties that the court has not made a decision on the application as the court needs to check certain matters," he said.
He added that parties were also informed that any application for an adjournment has to be made in open court.
"The (deputy) registrar will revert in the coming days on the next course of action," he said, adding the deputy registrar informed the parties that the appeal, which was initially set for July 11, has been moved to July 12 and is scheduled to go on till July 14.
Besides Azrul, Rosmah was also represented by Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader and Datuk Jagjit Singh while K Mangaiarkarasi represented the respondents during Monday's proceedings.
In September last year, the High Court found Rosmah guilty of all three counts of graft relating to a solar hybrid project in 2016-2017 for 369 rural schools in Sarawak. She was sentenced to 10 years in jail and fined RM970 million.
A stay was granted, pending the disposal of her appeal.