Malaysia 1MDB scandal: Ex-PM Najib Razak’s wife Rosmah Mansor gives up claim on diamond bracelet seized in 2018 raid
- The wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has relinquished her claim on a US$220,000 white gold diamond bracelet that the police seized in 2018
- 12,000 pieces of jewellery, 423 watches and 567 luxury handbags stuffed with almost US$30 million in cash were also seized by police in the 2018 raid
Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, has relinquished her claim on a US$220,000 white gold diamond bracelet that the police seized in a 1MDB raid in 2018, Bernama reported.
Her lawyer Azamuddin Abd Aziz informed the High Court of her decision during case management on Wednesday, according to the report. The bracelet is currently kept in the vaults of Malaysia’s central bank.
Rosmah also allegedly had a US$23 million pink diamond necklace made for her by New York jeweller Lorraine Schwartz for Rosmah Mansor.
The wife of Malaysia’s former prime minister vehemently denied ever receiving such an item, but Schwartz said in a statement to the court that she had personally delivered the necklace to Rosmah in 2014.
A grand flop? Najib and Anwar fail to inspire in Malaysia debate
Her records showed that Rosmah bought an additional US$1.3 million of jewellery from her that year, Schwartz said. The famous necklace has become symbolic of the self-styled First Lady of Malaysia and her husband’s excesses for many Malaysians.
In May 2018, 12,000 pieces of jewellery, 423 watches and 567 luxury handbags stuffed with almost US$30 million in cash – an estimated haul of US$273 million – were seized by Malaysian police from six properties linked to Najib Razak’s family.
Najib was Malaysia’s leader from 2009 until 2018, when his involvement in the 1MDB scandal cost his party the election and ended Barisan Nasional’s six-decade rule. Shortly after losing power, Malaysia’s police seized about 1.1 billion ringgit (US$273 million) worth of items in raids linked to Najib amid investigations into troubled state fund.
Najib is appealing a criminal conviction at the Federal Court and faces multiple trials in the High Court. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Additional reporting by Hadi Azmi in Kuala Lumpur
