Viral Photos Of Expensive Handbags Linked To 1MDB Raid, Here’s The Real Story
Even Sarawak Report had shared a photograph of the handbags from the shopping site and implying that they look similar to the ones often photographed on the ex-PM’s wife.
(Malaysian Digest) – Since the shocking election results led to the historic change in government, it has not been an easy couple of weeks for the former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
In the span of just two weeks, he has faced a travel ban, a midnight raid on his house, and intense public and media scrutiny over allegations made by current prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad about his involvement in the 1MDB scandal.
During the raids on his house, the police confiscated 284 boxes filled with luxury handbags and 72 luggage and suitcases filled with cash in multiple currencies.
Due to the raids and the details of the confiscated items, social media was soon flooded with photographs of luxury handbags such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Prada, saying that it is the picture of the bags confiscated by the police from Najib’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s personal collection.
Along with the pictures of the handbags, another picture, showing bundles of cash and even some gold bars, have been widely shared, with descriptions of the loot as part of the confiscated items from the former premier’s residence.
And for most Malaysians, these pictures acted as damning evidence that Najib siphoned money from the 1MDB funds, and bought luxury items using the money.
But just how legitimate are these photographs?
Well as it turns out, they are completely baseless, essentially fake news again.
It turns out that the picture of the handbags actually belonged to a luxury online site, ShopFirstLuxury.
In an Instagram post, the online shop complained about how their picture went viral and was attributed to the scandal.
“If anybody receive this broadcast (viral photo), please just don’t spread it again using this picture,” Shopfirstluxury wrote on its Instagram.
“In this fast information era, let’s be a responsible news reader, and think twice before sharing to your friends and family,” it added.
Pic: www.firstluxury.sg
Even Sarawak Report had shared a photograph of the handbags from the shopping site and implying that they look similar to the ones often photographed on the ex-PM’s wife.
And even worse, not only the pictures of the handbags were not the handbags that were confiscated, the other pictures has also been debunked as fake.
The picture of six Rolex watches said to be owned by Najib was obtained from Pinterest, and the snapshot of the cash were taken from photographic evidence of a robbery in America back in June 2016.
Thanks to these pictures, Najib and his wife have been vilified as criminals that have stolen millions of taxpayers money for their own luxury. Now that it has been debunked and proven that the pictures had nothing to do with the ongoing investigation.
So let’s just remember the age old adage, ‘innocent until proven guilty’ as in the coming weeks and months ahead, there is sure to be more manipulation of facts and reality in an attempt to stoke Malaysians distrust further.
