The warrant of arrest was issued against Rewcastle Brown on Sept 21, 2021, in absentia.

She is being accused of defaming Terengganu’s Sultanah Nur Zahirah in her book, “The Sarawak Report – The Inside Story of the 1MDB Expose”.

The sultanah claimed Rewcastle Brown’s book implied that she was a close associate of Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, and that she had helped him obtain an advisory position in Terengganu Investment Authority before it became 1MDB.

“We received a report from our high commission (in London) saying that the service of the arrest warrant has failed,” deputy public prosecutor Noor Haslinda Che Seman told Justice K Muniandy.

The court was hearing Rewcastle Brown’s bid to transfer the case from the Kuala Terengganu magistrates’ court to the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Haslinda said the prosecution will ensure Rewcastle Brown gets a fair trial before the Kuala Terengganu magistrates’ court.

She also denied Rewcastle Brown’s claim of interference by the Terengganu palace.

Rewcastle Brown’s lawyer, Guok Ngek Seong, told the court that his client wanted the case to be transferred to the High Court here as she feared she would not get a fair trial in Terengganu.

He said the former comptroller of the Terengganu palace, Azmi Daham, had acted on the royal family’s instructions to lodge a police report against Rewcastle Brown in 2018.

“The complainant of the case is a member of the royal family. She (Rewcastle Brown) is not disputing the integrity of subordinate judges but feels High Court judges are protected in their tenure,” Guok said.

Muniandy fixed June 21 for a decision on whether to allow the transfer.