KUALA LUMPUR: Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor has withdrawn the appeal to recuse judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan from her RM7 million money laundering and tax evasion trial.
Zaini, who is also a former High Court judge, has now been elevated to a Court of Appeal judge.
Based on the termination notice filed by law firm, Messrs Geethan Ram representing the wife of Datuk Seri Najib Razak, on March 1, Rosmah as the appellant withdrew the appeal filed through a notice of appeal dated April 29, last year.
Accordingly, the appeal is deemed to have been rejected in accordance with the provision in Rule 73 of the Court of Appeal Rules 1994.
The appeal proceeding was supposed to have been heard by the Court of Appeal on March 17.
Back in November last year, the Court of Appeal deferred the said appeal hearing because it wanted the defence and prosecution to file further arguments as to whether the court has jurisdiction to hear the matter.
Rosmah, 72, is facing 12 charges of money laundering amounting to RM7,097,750 and five charges of failing to declare her income to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).
She is said to have committed such offences at the Affin Bank Berhad branch at the Getah Asli building on Jalan Ampang here between Dec 4, 2013 and June 8, 2017 and at the IRB, government complex building, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim, here between May 1, 2014 and May 1, 2018.
The trial for the money laundering case and evading taxes faced by Rosmah has been set for 15 days between May 12 and Sept 8.
On Sept 1 last year, Mohamed Zaini found Rosmah guilty on three charges of corruption connected to the solar hybrid project worth RM1.25 billion for 369 rural schools in Sarawak and sentenced her to a punishment of 10 years jail and a fine of RM970 million.
The judge also ordered Rosmah to be imprisoned for 30 years if she fails to pay the fine, though allowed the application to defer the implementation of the prison sentence and fine while waiting for her appeal at the Court of Appeal.