‘They didn’t buy pink gem’

Not holding grudges: Rosmah said she would forgive those who had slandered her over her alleged purchase of the 22-carat pink diamond.

PETALING JAYA: Neither Datuk Seri Najib Razak nor Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor had ever bought the pink diamond that was mentioned by Bukit Aman in a statement on Saturday, her lawyers say.

Lawyers Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent and Datuk K. Kumaraen­dran, who represented Rosmah, said the couple had never received the precious stone.

“As mentioned by the police, the pink diamond was not in the possession of Datuk Seri Najib Razak or Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor,” they said.

Their response was in reference to Saturday’s statement by Bukit Aman IGP secretariat Anti-Money Laundering division chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Khalil Azlan Chik that police had obtained evidence that the pink diamond was bought from a jeweller in New York using 1MDB funds. The diamond is said to be worth US$23mil (RM94.6mil).

Last Monday, Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah told the Dewan Rakyat that a sales agent, who brought in a pink diamond, had declared the item when taking it out of Malaysia.

There was no purchase after the agent took it back, he said.

Subsequently, Rosmah said she would forgive those who had slandered her over her alleged purchase of the 22-carat pink diamond.- Star