Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s wife Rosmah Mansor expressed regret that Malaysians fell for the slander surrounding the infamous pink diamond ring.
“Some have come forward to apologise. I have forgiven them…I understand that my husband is a national leader, so I have to endure what he endures because I am his wife.
“So I am patient… in facing whatever tests from Allah,” she told reporters outside the Duta Court Complex in Kuala Lumpur this morning.
Rosmah was responding to Deputy Finance Minister Amiruddin Hamzah, who told Parliament on Monday that the sales agent who brought in a pink diamond and other jewellery into Malaysia for the wife of a VVIP had declared the valuables with the Customs Department.
He added the jewellery was also declared when the items left the country, which meant the VVIP’s wife did not purchase the valuables.
Meanwhile, Rosmah said this matter was explained in the past but the people still chose to listen to the baseless allegations aimed at tarnishing her and her husband.
“So we just have to go through it and unfortunately the people chose to believe in lies because these were more interesting and savoury.
“Whatever it is, I am happy and grateful to Allah,” she added.
Earlier, the former premier’s wife claimed trial to a new charge in the RM5 million bribery case involving solar hybrid power projects in Sarawak.
Apart from the ring, there was also another pink diamond linked to Rosmah, which the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) claimed was acquired by fugitive financier Jho Low.
The DOJ claimed that the item was purchased using US$620 million which Najib had returned to his “Saudi donor” which was actually a company controlled by Low’s proxy Eric Tan Kim Loong.
Najib had claimed that the Saudi donor had given him a total of RM2.6 billion. The DOJ, however, claimed the sum originated from 1MDB.
In an interview with Al-Jazeera last year, the former premier said that a UAE prince had purchased the 22-carat pink diamond pendant for Rosmah but she never received it.
Several months prior to this interview, the police seized cash, jewellery, luxury handbags and watches worth RM1.1 billion from six premises linked to Najib.
A month later, Rosmah was sued by a Lebanese jewellery wholesale company demanding the return of US$14.79 million (RM59.83 million) worth of jewellery which it said were sent to her for viewing prior to purchase.
Rosmah denied that she had bought the jewellery.
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng later said there was no import declaration made to the Customs Department with regards to the delivery of the 44 pieces of jewellery.
‘I told you Rosmah didn’t buy pink diamond’, says Najib
RANTAU: Najib Razak tonight criticised those who claimed his wife, Rosmah Mansor, had purchased a US$27 million (RM110.7 million) 22-carat pink diamond after Putrajaya confirmed no purchase took place here.
“It was not given to anyone. That was proven,” the former prime minister told a late-night ceramah here, referring to Deputy Finance Minister Amiruddin Hamzah’s confirmation on the matter.
Amirudin told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday a sales agent had brought in a pink diamond, along with other jewellery, for the “wife of a VVIP” and declared them with the Customs Department.
He said the sales agent declared the items when taking them out of Malaysia.
Najib said Rosmah had been a victim of “lies”, adding that there were many who believed Damansara MP Tony Pua’s claims that she bought the diamond.
“On the contrary, she just ordered it and looked at it,” he said, adding that it was delivered to a friend in Hong Kong and Rosmah in Kuala Lumpur.
“When it arrived at (Rosmah’s) home, she just looked (at it).”
Najib, who spoke to a packed crowd while campaigning for Barisan Nasional candidate Mohamad Hasan, said another “lie” that had been proven false was Rosmah being the owner of ride-hailing service Grabcar. – FREE MALAYSIA TODAY
Abu Kassim’s 2011 video about the RM24 million diamond ring has only focused national attention on Jho Loh’s RM144 million 22-carat rare pink diamond necklace for Rosmah and highlights what the PAC should do
The furore over the video of former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Abu Kassim Mohamad’s speech in 2011 over the RM24 million diamond ring has only focussed national attention on 1MDB scandal mastermind, Jho Loh’s RM144 million 22-carat rare pink diamond necklace for the wife of the then Prime Minister, Rosmah Mansor.
Most Malaysians have forgotten about the RM24 million diamond ring episode as what they remember is the infamous US$27.3 million (RM144 million) 22-carat rare pink diamond set in a necklace, which the US Department of Justice alleged was bought by Malaysian billionaire, Low Taek Jho or Jho Low, the other “king pin” of the 1MDB scandal, with stolen 1MDB money for the wife of “Malaysian Official 1” (MO1).
We must thank the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and the director of Barsian Nasional Strategic Communications Unit, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan for admitting to the whole world in a BBC interview that “MO1” is none other than Najib Razak and therefore the beneficiary of the US$27.3 million 22-carat pink diamond necklace is none other than Rosmah Mansor.
Why revive the story over the RM24 million diamond ring but maintain silence over the RM144 million pink diamond necklace?
Now that the RM1 billion luxury Equanimity luxury superyacht is in Malaysian waters and custody, Malaysians are entitled to know of the whereabout of the RM144 million pink diamond necklace.
Malaysiakini story on the furore titled “Ex-MACC boss: Customs officers ‘retaliated’ against Najib, sparked ‘diamond ring’ saga” said the episode was before Abu Kassim “knew the truth about the 1MDB after being shown by the US Department of Justice and FBI evidence in the 1MDB case”.
The report said Abu Kassim wanted to pursue the case “But at that time, the situation was not conducive and that was why he asked for early retirement in 2016”,
This is why the Public Accounts Committee, whose Chairman and Deputy Chairman were appointed by Parliament last week should re-open investigations into the 1MDB scandal, as it is clear that that the PAC of the 13th Parliament had done a great national disservice with its PAC Report tabled in Parliament in April 2016, and when it refused to re-open investigations after the mountain of new evidence about the 1MDB scandal in the US Department of Justice (DoJ) kleptocratic litigation to forfeit 1MDB-linked assets in the United States, United Kindom and Switzerland in July 2016.
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 11th August 2018)
MKINI / FREE MALAYSIA / https://blog.limkitsiang.com
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