Rafizi on pink diamond: It’s Najib’s word against DoJ filing

The fact that Rosmah did not end up with the diamond did not negate the case that the diamond was bought using 1MDB funds, according to US investigations.

(The Star) – Although the government has confirmed that Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor did not purchase a 22-carat pink diamond, this does not cancel out the fact that the jewel was nonetheless eventually bought with funds allegedly siphoned from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), says Rafizi Ramli.

The PKR vice-president said the fact remained that in 2017, there were filings by the United States’ Department of Justice (DoJ) in a civil lawsuit, which alleged that 1MDB funds were used to purchase the US$27mil (RM110mil) pink diamond to be gifted to the former premier’s wife.

Rafizi said no one questioned the existence of the diamond, or that it was intended to be a gift for Rosmah.

As such, the fact that Rosmah did not end up with the diamond did not negate the case that the diamond was bought using 1MDB funds, according to US investigations, he said.

“He said the crown prince of Dubai wanted it as a gift for Rosmah. He admitted that it exists; he admitted that it was for Rosmah but he told Al-Jazeera he never saw it and didn’t know who received it.

“So he admitted that the diamond, which has become part of a court case in the US, really exists and has a connection to Rosmah.

“The difference is that he said it was not paid by 1MDB, but by the crown prince of Dubai,” Rafizi told reporters after a Pakatan Harapan ceramah in Rantau on Wednesday night (April 10).

“The issue now is, who paid for it and using whose money?

“Based on the filing by the US DOJ, it is believed to have come from 1MDB funds,” he said.

Najib could say what he wanted, said the former Pandan MP, but it would be his words against the filing in the US.

He compared it to the case of luxury yacht Equanimity worth US$250mil (RM1bil), which was bought under someone else’s name instead of fugitive businessman Jho Taek Low, but its purchase was found to be linked to 1MDB following investigations.

“If it is asked in Parliament, does Jho Low own Equanimity, the answer by the ministers would definitely be that it was owned by a certain company and not Jho Low’s name,” he said.

Earlier, Najib criticised those who accused Rosmah of buying the diamond, after it was confirmed in Parliament that this did not happen.

Meanwhile, Rosmah also demanded that her accusers apologise to the people and her. She said it was an issue trumped up by certain parties to “use it for the election”.

Rafizi said those who didn’t want to accept that 1MDB was indeed robbed would give all sorts of answers.

“But I’m confident that Malaysians are not dumb,” he added.