Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, has lost her latest bid to stop a RM67.5 million (about S$21 million) payment to Lebanese jewellery company Global Royalty Trading SAL over 43 pieces of jewellery that were not returned.
Malaysia’s Court of Appeal on Sept. 23 dismissed Rosmah’s application for an unconditional stay, meaning she failed to obtain a complete suspension of the payment while she pursues her main appeal. The court also ordered her to pay RM30,000 in legal costs.
The dispute stems from a High Court ruling in June that found Rosmah liable for the loss of 43 pieces of jewellery that had been sent to her by Global Royalty Trading in 2018. The company had sought the return of 44 pieces, but only one has so far been recovered and returned.
Rosmah had argued that the jewellery was seized by Malaysian authorities during a 2018 police raid and that the government should therefore be responsible if the items were lost. The High Court rejected her position and ordered her to pay RM67.5 million to the jewellery company.
The Court of Appeal was not persuaded that the payment should be completely frozen. A three-member panel led by Justice Mohd Firuz Jaffril noted that Rosmah had not appealed the earlier conditional stay or sought an extension of time, but instead applied for an unconditional stay.
Under the conditional stay granted by the High Court in August, Rosmah was required to place the RM67.5 million into a joint stakeholder account maintained by lawyers for both sides. Her lawyers acknowledged in court that she had not complied with that order.
Her legal team argued that the payment should be delayed until the main appeal is heard, which is scheduled for March 25, 2027. They also pointed to restrictions on some of Rosmah’s assets connected to a separate 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) civil case.
The jewellery company opposed the request, arguing that Rosmah had not provided sufficient evidence of her financial position to justify an unconditional stay. Its lawyer also indicated that the company was prepared to pursue enforcement of the judgment.
The latest ruling does not end Rosmah’s main appeal against the High Court judgment. That case remains scheduled for March 2027, leaving the underlying dispute over responsibility for the missing jewellery unresolved while the payment issue moves forward.
