Rosmah Mansor’s appeal delayed due to injury as court rejects bid to remove judges (Updated)

DATIN Seri Rosmah Mansor’s Federal Court appeal against her conviction in the RM1.25 billion hybrid solar project corruption case has been postponed following a domestic accident, while her attempt to recuse two judges from the panel was dismissed.

At Wednesday’s proceedings, Rosmah’s lawyer, Datuk Jagjit Singh, informed the three-member panel, chaired by Justice Datuk Nordin Hassan alongside Justices Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali and Datuk Azimah Omar, that his client had tripped at home on 23 February, injuring both knees and her right shoulder.

“She refused hospitalisation despite advice and preferred to rest at home,” he said, confirming her medical leave runs from 24 to 28 February. The court subsequently set 3 March as the new hearing date.

Tensions surfaced in court after Rosmah’s team requested the recusal of Justices Nordin and Che Ruzima, citing potential bias.

The panel rejected the application, noting that both judges had previously presided over a related case concerning the removal of the late Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram from prosecuting the same corruption matter.

“Are you claiming there is genuinely a danger of bias?” Justice Nordin asked.

Jagjit responded that the request was on instructions from his client. Nordin stressed the judiciary’s adherence to legal principles:

“You must advise your client; this is a court of law. All actions are based on legal principles.” He concluded, “We have heard both applications to disqualify members of the panel and find no threat of partiality that requires us to recuse ourselves. We have a duty to hear this case.”

Rosmah’s earlier attempt to disqualify the presiding judge, Datuk Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, was also dismissed by the Court of Appeal on 17 September last year. Mohamed Zaini had convicted Rosmah on 1 September 2022 on three counts of corruption involving the solar project, which supplied 369 rural schools in Sarawak, sentencing her to ten years’ imprisonment and a RM970 million fine.

Her recusal request had cited doubts over Mohamed Zaini’s integrity following the leak of a judgment document published by a news portal.

The Federal Court will now reconvene on 3 March to continue hearing Rosmah’s appeal, following the brief adjournment prompted by her injury and the dismissal of her recusal bid. - February 25, 2026