Nazri: No case on Rosmah’s RM73m ring

Customs Department has confirmed to the MACC that no such ring was purchased.

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KUALA LUMPUR: Rosmah Mansor is not being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over the US$24 million (RM73 million) diamond ring fiasco.

Minister in the Prime Minister Department Nazri Aziz said in a written reply to Lim Lip Eng (DAP- Segambut) that the MACC, after checking with the Customs Department, “confirmed that there was no such purchase of the ring”.

“After a few days, the ring was returned to the company owner,” the reply added.

On July 13, pro-Pakatan Rakyat NGO Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) president Badrul Hisham Shaharin lodged a report with the MACC over the US$24 million ring allegedly acquired by Rosmah.

Just a day before, pro-opposition bloggers claimed that the ring, known as “Natural Fancy Blue Gray Cushion Cut Diamond Ring”, was sent to the premier’s wife by the New York-based fine jewellers Jacob & Co in April this year.

The ring allegedly passed through the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Customs and was cleared by a Customs operations manager known as A Krishnan.

Screenshots of the alleged Customs computer displays also revealed that the ring did not have import duties imposed on it. The same display also indicated the value of the ring to be US$24.4 million.

The finances behind the alleged purchase of the ring is suspicious, claimed Badrul. He said MACC had a public duty to ensure that Malaysians don’t suffer from the “Filipino Imelda Marcos” syndrome.

Najib in an interview with an Indonesian daily denied that his wife had bought the ring.

“That is not true,” Najib said, adding, “The ring was not ordered by her whether to be bought or to be used for private display,” a reference to pro-Umno bloggers who had said the ring was brought in for private display for four days.