RM24mil ring saga: Even stranger than fiction

YOURSAY 'It was business for Jacob & Co but to Malaysians, the woman involved is a public figure who has expensive tastes and indulge them on public expenses too.'

US jeweller says RM24mil ring isn't Rosmah's

Ferdtan: Whatever US-based jeweller Jacob & Co says now, after two years of controversy, is not going to make the accusation that the ring was meant for the wife of PM Najib, Rosmah Mansor, go away.

The question why is the clarification only made now - is it due to the fear of it being used as a fodder by the opposition in their election campaign?

When it was first exposed, caretaker PM Najib Razak and his wife certainly did not help much to clarify. They did not give plausible explanations that the people can accept.

They just denied that the RM24 million ring was for her. They never say it was meant for Maira, the mother of Daniyar Nazarbayev, who is engaged to Rosmah's daughter Nooryana Najwan.

If it is true, why didn't they say it in the first place when it was exposed and not wait for two years to do so? Don't kid us, the excuse is an afterthought.

And the surprised apologist for Rosmah Mansor is ‘one-time hero turned rogue', blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK).

This is the second time he helped clean Rosmah's image when he took back what he said in his blog that she was present during the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Raja Petra obviously had a hand in this YouTube interview. We don't know who we shall pity more - RPK, his wife or Rosmah Mansor?

Can RPK's wife be able to look directly into our faces, especially after we have supported her during her husband's detention some years ago?

Unspin: Regardless of their spin, the fact that the PM's household was viewing and touching a RM24 million diamond ring with an intention to buy, was already hypocritical and irresponsible, considering that:

1) most Malaysian households earn less than RM3,000 per month, and

2) we have been advised by our PM to change our lifestyle due to the economic uncertainty.

Besides the diamond ring, we also want answers from Rosmah for her many Birkin handbags, diamond-crusted bracelets and the 60 pieces of silk dresses in one shopping spree in Australia.

Changeagent: Sorry, Jacob & Co fine jewellery director Philip Nassimi, but your account does not make any sense at all.

Why not send the RM24 million ring to Maira Nazarbayev's own home address in Kazakhstan? Why send it to her when she is on holiday in a foreign country where you can't even put her name on the shipping papers?

And since you included Rosmah's name in the documents, who becomes liable in the event that the ring is damaged or lost during transit - Maira or Rosmah?

XXXXXX: Why does Nassimi want so much to tell the world that the ring is for Maira, whose reputation is well known?

Who has asked him to make a video along with such strange statements just before the general election?

He is not the boss of the company but just a director, so was he paid to make these statements or was he ordered by his boss who did not want to do it himself?

ArunK: I'm sure a dealer who might hypothetically have been paid a lot of money for a ring, and is dealing with an unscrupulous client who might well be a repeat client if handled properly, would have no incentive to lie.

LittleGiant: If it was a straightforward transaction, then it should have been explained in a straightforward manner there and then. It need not have taken almost two years to explain.

I suppose blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin's 'spin mills' have started working overtime now as the verdict of the country's electorate is due soon.

Anonymous#67264383: If I were a jeweller dealing with PM's wives, would I support the PM's wife's story or the opposition's story?

Of course, I would cover up for the PM's wife. Otherwise, in future, no PM's wife in the world will do business with me. Indeed, Jacob & Co's statement has no currency.

Faz: It takes two to tango. So what is new? Had the news never became public, the end result would have been different.

It was business for Jacob & Co but to Malaysian public, the woman involved is a public figure has expensive tastes and indulge them on public expenses too.

Amoker: With that kind of money, Nassimi could also come out on video to say that he is a cow with five udders.

Two main reflections:

1) Who is the mystery man who brought the ring into Malaysia?
2) How many other luxury goods are being mailed to the PM's residence in this way to avoid tax?

Cala: What an explanation. But I see no logic in Jacob & Co's statement. Given the fact that the diamond ring costs so much (a whopping US$8 million), would a company send it to a potential client for viewing unless there is an expressed interest to buy it?

To use another person's name as the ultimate purchaser is a lame excuse.

Ghkok: Please let me try to understand. Two women ordered a 30.11-carat blue diamond ring worth RM24 million to be flown to them halfway around the world.

Neither of them wants to buy the ring but they just want to "view" the ring. They want to "view" the ring "...because of their children's engagement".

After viewing the ring, they have it flown all the way back to New York. So this is what people do. I see... - Malaysiakini