KUALA LUMPUR: Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor pleaded not guilty to 17 money laundering charges involving over RM7 million at the Sessions Court, here, today.
Clad in an orange batik baju kurung and a matching shawl, the wife of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak appeared calm and composed as she entered the dock at 9.15am.
Rosmah, 67, was seen going through the charge sheets as the interpreter read out the charges to her in front of Judge Azura Alwi.
On the first to 12th counts, Rosmah was alleged to have engaged in transactions that involved proceeds from unlawful activity by allowing money totalling RM7,097,750 to be deposited into her account.
She allegedly committed the offences at the lower ground of Affin Bank Bhd's Bangunan Getah Asli branch along Jalan Ampang, here, between Dec 4, 2013 and June 8, last year.
On the 13th to 17th counts, she allegedly engaged in money laundering by failing to file a return on the sum that were deposited into her account, as required under Section 77 (1) of the Income Tax Act 1967.
The offences were allegedly committed at the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim, here, between May 1, 2014 and this year.
She claimed trial to all the charges which was framed under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFA) 2001 and the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFPUAA) 2001.
Lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram did not offer bail to the accused saying that there was a real danger of witness-tampering.
He said this was a significant fact that should be brought to the court's attention if bail were to be granted.
"The accused had approached a witness requesting the witness to make a statement in her favour.
“There is a real danger of witnesses being tampered.. In this case, having regard to the circumstances, we are not opposing bail.
"We are asking for conditions to be imposed which is for the accused to not contact any witnesses from now until the trial," he said, proposing a RM10 million bail if the court was to allow bail.
Rosmah's counsel Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent in pleading for a lower bail said the amount proposed was excessive and unreasonable and pleaded for RM250,000 instead.
"My client is 67 years old and she has been called by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) three times. She has never failed to cooperate even on short notice," he said.
Judge Azura then allowed bail to be set at RM2 million in two sureties and ordered for the accused to not contact any witnesses and for her passports to be surrendered to the court.
Counsel Datuk K. Kumaraendran who also represented Rosmah asked that his client be allowed to stagger the payment of bail with RM500,000 to be paid today and the remaining amount to be paid within a week.
The court allowed the bail payments to be made over a period, as long as it was settled by Oct 11.
The case will be up for mention on Nov 8.
Rosmah was detained by the MACC yesterday following the anti-graft body's investigation into money laundering with regard to 1Malaysia Development Berhad's (1MDB) subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd.
From 6.30am today, scores of journalists had gathered outside the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex to await the arrival of Rosmah as well as Najib who appeared for the mention of his criminal charges at the High Court.
Court officials and police issued 22 passes for local and foreign journalists to allow them into the courtroom and 40 passes for reporters to enter a video-link room for Rosmah's case while 20 passes were issued for journalists to be allowed to enter the courtroom for Najib's case.