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A jeweller from Lebanon has re-filed a suit against Rosmah Mansor, seeking the return of 43 pieces of jewellery worth US$14.57 million (S$19.4 million).

44 items

Rosmah was sent 44 pieces of jewellery by Lebanese jewellery firm Global Royalty Trading, delivered to her by hand in February 2018.

According to Free Malaysia Today, these pieces included diamond necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, and tiaras, with values ranging between US$124,000 (S$165,050)  and US$925,000 (S$1.23 million).

Shortly after losing power, former prime minister Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah's properties were raided by the Malaysia police in May 2018.

They seized items such as bags of cash, and nearly 12,000 pieces of jewellery, valued at up to US$273 million (S$ 363.4 million) by Al Jazeera.

The Lebanese firm said the 44 pieces they were looking for were not seized by the government. It initially tried to get Rosmah to return the 44 items through a lawsuit in 2019. But in Oct. 2019, it withdrew the suit, saying that it would attempt to recover the jewellery from the Malaysian government.

Global Royal Trading claimed that Rosmah had sent them a letter dated May 22, 2018, saying that she had received the jewellery, but that it had been seized by the Malaysian government and was in their custody.

It managed to retrieve one of these 44 items, a diamond bracelet valued at US$220,000 (S$292,820) in June 2022 according to The Edge Markets, but failed to find the other 43 pieces.

Global Royalty Trading has now refiled the suit, seeking either the missing 43 pieces or damages, valued at US$14.57 million (S$19.4 million), according to Malaysiakini.

One bling to rule them all

Rosmah is the wife of former Malaysian prime minister, now convicted felon Najib Razak.

Najib was found guilty of corruption and exhausted his appeals in 2022, finally being sent to Kajang prison where he awaits trial for several other charges.

Najib was ousted from power following the results of Malaysia's seminal 2018 election which saw Najib's Barisan Nasional lose power for the first time in Malaysia's history.

Rosmah was herself found guilty in September 2022 for soliciting bribes and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but is currently out on bail pending appeal, which is due to be heard on July 11.

Rosmah, was recently seen at a hearing for Najib in Kuala Lumpur, although her passport has been released to her so she could spend the Hari Raya period with her family in Singapore.

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Top image via Sadiq Asyraf/Getty Images