Court to rule Jan 7 on 1MDB bid to freeze Rosmah’s US$346 million assets

The Kuala Lumpur High Court is scheduled to rule on January 7, 2027, regarding whether to grant a Mareva injunction to 1MDB. This injunction would prevent Rosmah Mansor from disposing of or dealing with assets worth up to US$346 million. The decision will be made during the case management, attended by Rosmah's lawyer Sheena Stephanie Sebastian and counsel Henna Nikita Sanghvi, representing 1MDB.

A Mareva injunction is an interim court order intended to prevent a defendant from disposing of or dealing with assets until the resolution of legal proceedings. In this case, the plaintiffs, including 1MDB and 10 other companies, are seeking to restrain Rosmah from handling assets including cash, company shares, property, and other assets.

The lawsuit, filed on May 9, 2024, concerns luxury goods valued at more than US$346 million, which the plaintiffs claim were acquired using misappropriated 1MDB funds. The plaintiffs are requesting an order for Rosmah to pay US$346,010,489 or another determined amount by the court, as well as declarations that the first six plaintiffs are the legitimate owners of these luxury goods.

The initial lawsuit was filed against Rosmah and Singaporean national Shabnam Naraindas Daswani, but the latter's claims were withdrawn in April 2025. The main suit was initially set for hearing in June 2027.