Rosmah claims charges against her overlapping, will not get fair trial

Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor has stated that she believes she will not receive a fair trial due to a duplication of charges against her for money laundering and tax evasion. She made this claim in her response, which was filed on September 22, to an affidavit-in-reply by DPP Poh Yih Tinn regarding her application to dismiss 12 charges of money laundering and five charges of failure to declare income to the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN).

Rosmah argued that the first to twelfth amended charges for money laundering lack clarity as they do not specify the illegal activity or predicate offense from which the proceeds were obtained.

On the other hand, Poh stated in the affidavit-in-reply that there is no provision in the Income Tax Act 1967 preventing prosecution for money laundering and tax evasion charges. Rosmah further asserted that the details provided in the thirteenth to seventeenth charges, related to failure to declare income, were misleading as they combined money laundering offenses.

According to Rosmah, it is unclear whether she is being charged under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 or the Income Tax Act 1967.

Moreover, Rosmah claimed that if the trial were to proceed with the existing charges, it would violate her constitutional right to a fair trial. She expressed concerns about the possibility of being tried, convicted, and punished multiple times for the same offense.

Rosmah, aged 71, filed a notice of motion on October 4, 2020, requesting to be acquitted and discharged from all 17 charges against her. The alleged offenses took place at Affin Bank Berhad’s Bangunan Getah Asli branch, Jalan Ampang, between December 4, 2013, and June 8, 2017, and at LHDN Kompleks Bangunan Kerajaan, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim, between May 1, 2014, and May 1, 2018.

The trial for this case commenced on August 24, with two witnesses providing testimony. – Bernama