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. - Mkini
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