UPDATE 3 Rosmah Mansor, the controversial wife of embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak, must come clean on a string of damning allegations made against her by businessman Deepak Jaikishan, a former close friend and once part of her inner circle.
"It is very simple. Deepak has made these accusations against Rosmah and he has shown documents and bank-in slips as proof he bought these diamonds for her. It is now for her to deny if it is not true. These are very serious allegations that touches on the office of the Prime Minister," Rafizi told Malaysia Chronicle at the sidelines of a press conference on Wednesday.
At the press conference, Rafizi had shown bank-in slips and invoices from top Hong Kong jewellery firms obtained from a "third-party source" and which Deepak has alleged were proof he bought 19 pieces of exclusive jewellery worth US$3.9 miliion for Rosmah as a pay-off for Najib to use his then position as Defense Minister to corruptly sanction a land deal in Bukit Raja, Selangor to benefit Deepak and Raja Ropiaah, the Selangor Umno Women's chief.
"But as we have seen in the past, there has always been deafening silence whenever there are documents that show corruption. This is also not the first time time Rosmah has been involved in a cincin (ring) incident. In the end, the Customs documents also did show that there was such a diamond ring worth US$ 24 million despite the Najib administration's counter-claims that it was just the Opposition bad-mouthing her."
Rafizi was referring to a previous scrape Rosmah and Najib were embroiled in, where she was accused to buying a diamond ring from a New York jeweller worth US$24 million. Such a costly ring would obviously be out of range of the PM's affordability given his remuneration.
Increasing liability: Najib & Rosmah the Bonnie & Clyde of Malaysia?
The latest bombshell underscores red-hot talk in town of a plot to oust Najib before the country's 13th general elections are called. Deepak has been accused of being 'persuaded' by Najib's rivals from within Umno, including his own deputy Muhyiddin Yassin and former premier Mahathir Mohamad, to expose his scandals and wrongdoings.
So far, Deepak has not only exposed Najib's hand in a Ministry of Defense land deal, for which the 19 pieces of jewellery were the alleged pay-off for, but has also revealed that both the PM and his wife had asked him to "facilitate" the withdrawal of a damning statutory declaration made in 2008 by a private investigator implicating Najib in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder and Scorpenes corruption case.
On Wednesday, waving a sheaf of invoices, Rafizi showed how Deepak, through his company Carpet Raya Sdn Bhd bought 19 pieces of exclusive custom-made jewellery, mostly diamond rings, from top Hong Kong jewellers allegedly for Rosmah.
"Deepak has to come forward with more details and Rosmah has to come forward to clear the air because the word 'cincin' (ring) is a sensitive matter in Malaysia. The invoices so far show that Deepak's carpet firm paid for the jewellery but Rosmah's name is not there. Even so, these are very serious allegations made by Deepak and must be investigated," Rafizi told the press conference.
3rd most corrupt country in the world by example?
Showing invoices from firms including Firestone Co. Ltd and Dehres Ltd, Rafizi - a UK trained auditor - confirmed he had called up the companies to verify the invoices were genuine. He also furnished bank-in and payment slips, pointing out that the spate of purchases spanned a suspiciously short period of just 3 months.
Although, Rosmah's name is not shown on the documents, her love for fine jewellery and diamonds is legendary. Deepak's list of jewellery purchased from Hong Kong is stunning and, if his allegations are true, would certainly befit her taste.
The 19 pieces of jewellery consist of:
> 7 diamond rings
> 4 diamond earrings
> 2 diamond bracelets
> 3 diamond necklaces
> 1 emerald ring
> 1 emerald bracelet and
> 1 ruby bracelet.
"RM13 million in 3 months... That's a lot of jewellery to buy," Rafizi said, reiterating that the documents and Deepak's claims justified a probe by authorities at the very least.
Malaysia moved up 2 notches in the latest Global Financial Integrity report, with more than RM200 billion siphoned out of the country in the form of illicit outflows. It is now considered the third most corrupt country in the world after China and Mexico.
Diamonds have long been an alternative currency, just like gold, popular with investors and underworld money-laundering syndicates. The gems have an added advantage of being easy to transport as well as to smuggle in and out of international borders.
Malaysia Chronicle
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