Lawyer Akberdin Abdul Kader, a member of Rosmah’s legal team, said the date was decided after case management before deputy registrar Noor Firdaus Rosli today.

Firdaus gave parties the liberty to file additional submissions, which must be put in by February.

A Court of Appeal bench will first hear Rosmah’s appeal to disqualify trial judge Zaini Mazlan from hearing the case, allegedly on grounds that certain third parties had prepared a draft of the judgment for him.

If the court refuses to grant the recusal, it will proceed to hear the merits of Rosmah’s appeal against her conviction and sentence on March 19.

Deputy public prosecutor Ng Siew Wee represented the prosecution.

On Sept 1, 2022, Zaini, now a Court of Appeal judge, dismissed a last-minute application by Rosmah to stop him from presiding over her case.

Rosmah had sought to disqualify Zaini after a purported draft of his judgment was published by the late controversial blogger, Raja Petra Kamarudin.

She claimed that the judge ought not to preside over the case since she had lost confidence in him. Zaini dismissed the application.

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 RM1.5 million from Saidi at Jalan Langgak Duta on Sept 7, 2017.

Zaini sentenced her to 10-year jail terms for each of the three charges but ordered them to run concurrently. He also ordered her to pay a RM970 million fine.

The court also ordered Rosmah to serve another 10 years in prison after her initial sentence if she fails to pay the fine.