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KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today granted an order for the prosecution to convene interested third parties to challenge the ownership of the items seized from former Prime Minister Najib Razak, other individuals and companies after May 9, 2018.
Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan made the decision after Deputy Prosecutor Muhammad Shukri Hussain said they have served amended notifications against those named in the forfeiture request.
Najib’s lawyers and the 15 individuals and companies named in the seizure offer told the court that they had no objection to the prosecution’s request.
“I hope the court will give us about a month and a half to publish the bulletin for third parties (to contest the ownership of the articles) so that they can have some time to appear in court,” Shukri said.
The court established October 26 as a subpoena for any interested third party to challenge the seized items.
After the procedure, Shukri told reporters that previously, no third party had come forward to challenge the seized items when the government published the notice in August last year.
“We previously filed a request to amend our request for forfeiture by making changes to the bank account details, and the court accepted our request.
“If no third party comes to court on October 26, we will proceed with the full hearing,” he said.
The government seeks to confiscate hundreds of items seized from the former prime minister, from 15 individuals and businesses in 2018.
Among those named in the forfeiture request are Rosmah Mansor, Riza Aziz, Najib’s children, former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng and the mother of fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, Goh Gaik Ewe.
The seized items include luxury handbags, cash in different currencies, watches, shoes, and 27 vehicles.
They also included a sum of 18 million ringgit in various bank accounts and a bungalow belonging to Low’s family in Tanjung Bungah, Penang.
Meanwhile, three individuals linked to Low named in the seizure request – Kee Kok Thiam, Tan Vern Tac and Geh Choh Hun – have been classified as fugitives, and under Section 63 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Financing Act against Terrorism, the The prosecution can dispense with the notification of the claim.
