The plaintiff had sued the government-linked company to compel it to direct Rosmah Mansor to return a 22-carat pink diamond necklace set worth US$27.3 million (RM108 million) that was allegedly bought with 1MDB funds.

Counsel Tan Hock Chuan told reporters that his legal firm applied to discharge itself after failing to receive any instructions from 1MDB.

“The court granted our application. At the moment, 1MDB has no counsel, but we will inform the company,” he told reporters after meeting High Court Judge Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim in chambers today.

Meanwhile, Khairuddin’s counsel Damien Chan said the court vacated the hearing fixed for today for the application by the defendants, Rosmah, Low Taek Jho or Jho Low and 1MDB, to strike out the suit.

He said the court fixed June 21 for case management for the parties to update their status.

The defendants filed the application on Sept 7, 2017 on the grounds that Khairuddin had no locus standi to sue them.

Khairuddin filed the suit on Aug 16, 2017, claiming that between June 2013 and March 2014, Jho Low, through his agent, bought a pink diamond worth US$23 million and a necklace worth US$4.3 million from New York jeweller Lorraine with money taken from 1MDB.

The jewellery was allegedly gifted to Rosmah in March 2014.

The plaintiff is seeking a court order for Rosmah to return the jewellery to 1MDB and for Jho Low to repay the amount of money allegedly taken from 1MDB, as well as damages, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.