KUALA LUMPUR: A brief moment of levity broke the tension at the High Court today when Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, testifying in her multimillion-ringgit jewellery dispute, interjected, “Can I say something?”, prompting laughter in the courtroom.
The remark, made during proceedings, appeared to evoke memories of her oft-quoted “Can I advise you something?” line, briefly easing what had otherwise been a serious hearing.
Rosmah, who took the stand as a defence witness, is facing a civil suit filed by Lebanese jeweller Global Royalty Trading SAL, which is seeking the return of dozens of high-value jewellery pieces.
Composed but at times animated, she told the court she had taken reasonable steps to safeguard the items, including diamond necklaces, rings, bracelets and a tiara sent to her for viewing in 2018.
She maintained that the jewellery was no longer in her possession, as it had been seized by police during a lawful operation.
Earlier, the proceedings turned tense when plaintiff’s counsel Datuk David Gurupatham questioned the wife of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on whether she had frequently received jewellery worth millions without documentation.
David: You received jewellery in this case worth about RM67 million… sent to you without documents all the time? Please answer my question.
Rosmah: Excuse me, I am calculating it in my head… do not harass me… give me time to calculate. You asked me if I received this all the time without documents, right? Yes.
However, Rosmah said she had signed documents relating to the disputed jewellery while in a “confused state”, claiming she was under pressure as police were carrying out operations at her residence at the time.
She also drew attention in court when she admitted she could not recall the total number of jewellery pieces she owned, despite reports that police had seized about 12,000 items during a 2018 raid.
She agreed she had no clear record of her collection but insisted she would be able to recognise the items if shown to her, saying it “is not so difficult”.
Rosmah, who appeared increasingly restless after repeated interruptions from counsel, later interjected during questioning, saying, “Can I say something?” when pressed on the exact figures.
The remark drew a light response from counsel, who quipped that the phrase “rang a bell”, prompting amusement in court.
The “Can I advise you something” phrase originates from a 2020 Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission audio recording involving Rosmah, which later went viral and became widely circulated online.
Rosmah maintained she had no knowledge of the exact number of items seized, telling the court that neither she nor her family were present during the raid.
“We were not there when they took the money and jewellery. They just took it and made statements. We were not aware how much,” she said.
Earlier, a fiery exchange erupted between Rosmah’s lawyer, Rajivan Nambiar and Global Royalty founder Samer Hassib Halimeh, who was testifying as the first witness over the absence of documentation linking the jewellery consignment to Rosmah.
The lawyer pressed the witness on whether any documents had been produced showing that jewellery was selected, purchased, or returned by Rosmah, to which Samer repeatedly replied that he did not know.
At one point, judge Datuk Quay Chew Soon intervened, cautioning the witness not to “spar” with counsel and to answer questions directly or risk wasting court time.
The company filed the suit on June 26, 2018, seeking an order compelling Rosmah to return jewellery sent for viewing, including diamonds, earrings, rings, bracelets and a tiara.
Global Royalty said that on Feb 10, 2018, it delivered 43 pieces of jewellery via hand-carry courier through two agents, valued between US$124,000 and US$925,000 each.
