KUALA LUMPUR (July 10) : The Lebanese jewellery firm suing Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor for breach of contract over 43 missing pieces of jewellery has said it does not need "additional publicity" from Rosmah for its products.
In its ongoing RM67.46 million lawsuit against Rosmah, Global Royalty Trading SAL said it was a "well-established and renowned jeweller" operating internationally.
"[We have] been serving royalties and celebrities long before [Rosmah] made any purchases. [Our] reputation and clientele speak for themselves, and [we have] no need for any additional publicity as claimed by [Rosmah]," the jewellery firm said in its reply to Rosmah's defence seen by The Edge.
In their reply filed on July 9, the company added that they were introduced to Rosmah by the Sultanah of Brunei, which they claimed showed the "level of trust and prestige" the company enjoys.
Previously, in her statement of defence, Rosmah, 71, had said that companies like Global Royalty sought publicity for their products and wanted her to be their customer.
She said that items would be sent to her to attract buyers, and she was not obligated to purchase them.
In their reply to this, the company added that before the consignment of the pieces at the heart of this lawsuit, Rosmah had made previous purchases from them.
"However, no publicity or attention was generated from those transactions. Therefore, the claim regarding publicity holds no basis or merit," they said.
In April, The Edge reported that Global Royalty had refiled the US$14.57 million (RM67.46 million) suit in the High Court against Rosmah for 43 pieces of jewellery, which were despatched to her in February 2018, but are now allegedly missing following a raid by the authorities.
The firm only managed to recover one item among the 12,000 pieces of jewellery seized: one diamond bracelet worth US$220,000.
In her statement of defence, Rosmah also said that if the 43 pieces of jewellery were lost, the police or the Malaysian government should be made responsible for the losses.
Global Royalty also asserted that they have reasonable and viable cause of action, which originates from principles of common law and statutory provisions.
They also said that the claim was not frivolous or vexatious.
"[We] had at all material times acted in good faith and [are] seeking to enforce [our] right as an unpaid seller. Therefore, bringing the current legal action against [Rosmah] is the only available recourse for [us] to recover the outstanding payment for the jewellery," they said.
Global Royalty is represented by Messrs David Gurupatham and Koay, while Rosmah is represented by Messrs Reza Rahim & Rajivan.
When contacted, counsels from both firms confirmed the court filing and that a case management for the matter has been set for July 26.