The appeal, originally fixed for June 22 and 23, will now be heard on the same dates as Rosmah’s substantive appeal to set aside her conviction and sentence by the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Both appeals will now be heard from July 11 to 14.

Rosmah’s lawyer, Akberdin Abdul Kadir, said the new dates were set by deputy registrar Khairi Haron during case management today.

“The court has allowed our application for both appeals to be heard in the same sitting,” he told FMT.

Deputy public prosecutor T Deepa Nair represented the prosecution.

Akberdin said the recusal appeals will be heard first.

“Should we succeed, then the second appeal to set aside the conviction and sentence will fall automatically,” he said.

On Sept 1 last year, Zaini dismissed Rosmah’s last-minute application to recuse him from presiding over the case.

Rosmah, 71, the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak, had sought to disqualify Zaini after a purported draft judgment was published by fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin.

She claimed the draft judgment was not prepared by Zaini, but by “third parties”, and that she had lost confidence in the judge deciding her case.

On the same day, Zaini convicted her of soliciting RM187.5 million from former Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin through her former aide, Rizal Mansor, as an inducement to help the company secure the solar project.

She was also convicted of receiving bribes amounting to RM5 million from Saidi, through Rizal, at Seri Perdana in Putrajaya on Dec 20, 2016, and another charge of receiving another RM1.5 million from Saidi at Jalan Langgak Duta on Sept 7, 2017.

Zaini sentenced her to 10-year jail terms for all three charges but ordered them to run concurrently.

The court said if Rosmah failed to pay the RM970 million fine, she will have to serve another 10 years in prison, after she completes her initial 10-year sentence.

Rosmah is out on bail pending her appeal hearing.