Lebanese jeweller intends to fully enforce judgment delivered.
Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor faces potential bankruptcy if she fails to pay a RM67.5 million court judgment to Lebanese jeweller Global Royalty Trading SAL Ltd. The High Court ordered Rosmah to pay exactly RM67,461,027.37 within one month after finding her liable for failing to return 43 pieces of luxury jewellery.
The suit originally centred on 44 pieces of jewellery worth US$14.57 million (approximately RM68.3 million), delivered to Rosmah in 2018 on consignment for viewing. While one diamond emerald bracelet was recovered and returned via forfeiture proceedings, the remaining 43 pieces remain unaccounted for.
Senior lawyer Datuk David Gurupatham, representing Global Royalty, confirmed that the firm intends to fully enforce the judgment to recover the debt.
“We will execute the judgment until we recover every penny, or she is declared bankrupt. Those are my instructions from the client,” Gurupatham stated.
However, bankruptcy proceedings will serve as a last resort. Under Malaysian law, the judgment creditor may first pursue other enforcement measures, including:
- Seizure and sale proceedings
- Garnishee actions
- Judgment debtor examinations
“We will pursue bankruptcy only if all attempts to enforce the judgment and recover the debt fail,” Gurupatham clarified, noting it would not be the immediate course of action if the one-month deadline is missed.
Judge Datuk Quay Chew Soon established that the luxury items were delivered strictly for viewing, were never purchased, and were not returned.
Furthermore, the court dismissed Rosmah’s third-party claim against the Inspector-General of Police and the Malaysian government. The judge rejected her contention that the missing items had been seized during the 2018 police raids linked to the 1MDB investigations.
In response to the ruling, Rosmah’s defence lawyer, Rajivan Nambiar, announced that the defence will apply for a stay of execution and file an appeal with the Court of Appeal.