Deputy public prosecutor Poh Yih Tinn said the date was decided after a virtual case management before Court of Appeal deputy registrar Mohd Khair Haron today.

“The appeal hearing date was fixed as the appellant (Rosmah) has filed her petition of appeal against a (Sept 24) High Court ruling,” he said.

Lawyer Jagjit Singh appeared for Rosmah.

However, Rosmah is unlikely to be present when the appeal is heard as she obtained approval from the High Court on Oct 15 to be in Singapore with her daughter Nooryana Najwa, who is due to give birth soon.

She is said to have left for the island republic on Oct 22 and is expected to return on Nov 21.

On Sept 24, High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said Sri Ram’s appointment under Sections 376, 377, 378 and 379 of the Criminal Procedure Code by the then attorney-general Tommy Thomas in August 2018 was valid.

Zaini also accepted the alternative submission by the prosecution that the present attorney-general Idrus Harun’s backdated appointment letter for Sri Ram, which was issued on May 21 this year, could cure any defect by Thomas.

He said this was because Section 50(b) of the Interpretation Acts 1948 and 1967 empowers any authority to make an appointment with retrospective effect.

The wife of former prime minister Najib Razak is charged with soliciting RM187.5 million from contractor Saidi Abang Samsudin in the Sarawak schools solar hybrid project, as well as receiving RM6.5 million in cash from him.

It is alleged that the money was meant to help Saidi’s company, Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd secure the RM1.25 billion project.

Rosmah, who had been ordered to enter her defence, will resume giving evidence before Zaini on Dec 8.