Malaysia’s Najib Najib bought wife Rosmah Mansor US$130,000 Chanel watch to make up for shortened holiday, court hears

Luxury watch was among a series of large purchases reflected in statements from a bank account of Najib’s that allegedly held funds siphoned from the state fund

Najib is facing 42 charges for his involvement in the 1MDB scandal, in which US$700 million from the state fund is alleged to have landed in his bank account

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Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor pictured in 2011. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:26pm, 9 Dec 2019Updated: 6:04pm, 17 Dec 2019

Disgraced former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak on Tuesday said in court that a US$130,000 receipt he racked up at a Chanel store in the United States was a birthday gift for his wife and also to make up for cutting short their family holiday in Hawaii, local media have reported.

Najib, who is on trial on charges relating to Malaysia’s multibillion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal, said he needed to return to the country early due to the floods in December 2014, the Malay Mail reported.

“Throughout the whole time [in Hawaii] I was following the east coast flooding development and I felt compelled to return home; that is why I cut my vacation short. They [my family] were very sad I had to leave them.

“Coincidentally, it was close to my wife’s birthday and that time they felt disappointed with my decision [to return home].

“Therefore, I made the decision to buy something to placate my family and buy something my wife chose,” he said from the witness box in the High Court.

Najib is facing six charges of money laundering and criminal breach of trust for misappropriating 42 million ringgit (US$10 million) from SRC International, a former unit of Malaysian state fund 1MDB.