Ring of the Kleptocrat, Yacht of the Cleptocrat
Eye on ‘Jacob the Jeweller’ after Rosmah’s ring denial
KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s denial today that she bought a RM24 million Jacob & Co diamond ring has thrown a spotlight on the jeweller’s alleged money-laundering activities.
Questions have now arisen as to whether the name of the wife of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had been used without her knowledge by criminal elements as part of illegal activities.
Jacob & Co founder Jacob Arabo, whose custom diamond-encrusted wrist watches and chunky jewellery adorn Hollywood A-listers like Leonardo DiCaprio and hip-hop stars Kanye West and Jay-Z, is no stranger to such allegations.
The Uzbekistan-born Jew, described by the New York Times as the “Harry Winston of the hip-hop world”, has twice tangled with US federal law enforcement agencies.
In 1998, Arabo was arrested by the FBI for alleged criminal possession of stolen property. The charges were later dropped.
He was arrested by the FBI again in 2006, this time for allegedly laundering US$270 million (RM810 million) for the notorious Detroit-based Black Mafia Family (BMF) drug gang and failing to report large cash purchases to the Internal Revenue Service.
Arabo was accused of “facilitating the purchase of jewellery utilising the drug proceeds of (BMF leaders) Terry Lee Flenory, Demetrius Flenory in order to conceal the true source, nature and ownership of the funds involved in these transactions”, according to the US District Court in Detroit.
“Jacob the Jeweller”, as he is known in hip-hop circles, would later plead guilty to a lesser charge of lying to investigators in exchange for the more serious money-laundering charges being dropped.
According to the New York Post, the “King of Bling”, as he was labelled by the tabloid, pleaded guilty in federal court in Detroit in 2007, agreeing to serve between 37 and 46 months behind bars and pay US$2 million in penalties.
In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped more serious charges that he joined a money-laundering conspiracy to hide approximately US$270 million in dirty drug profits for the Black Mafia Family, the daily reported.
“I realise I have made a terrible mistake and I accept the consequences. America is the greatest country on earth and I have great regret that I violated the law,” Arabo was quoted by the New York Post as saying then.
The jeweller likely faced 15 years behind bars if he was convicted of money laundering.
His jail time was eventually cut by seven months on account of “charity work”.
Rosmah today dismissed allegations about the diamond ring raised three weeks ago by pro-opposition blogs as yet another lie to slander her.
She has faced continuous allegations of leading a lavish lifestyle ever since it became apparent that Najib would succeed Tun Abdullah Badawi as prime minister.
UMNO, Najib and the 24 mil ring
By ViewAct
Has it ever crossed your mind how and why dirt keeps being kicked up against PM Najib and his wife recently? Yet there doesn’t seem to be much activity from his deputy. Have you also noticed that not many came to Najib’s rescue when he screwed up big time against Bersih 2.0? Instead of his “Championed” Malay brothers, we saw MCA sending 2 representatives trying to shine his dirty shoe but to no avail.
We also have a 24 mil ring, and a “worth-a-fortune” bracelet allegedly belonging to the wife of PM, and its photo and custom screenshot of the alleged purchase surfacing all over the internet. Well, this too receives much lesser “backing up” from all PM Najib’s assistants.
What is wrong with them now? Aren’t they very good at jumping at trivial issues to “show” that they are loyal to the President, and display the “Please do notice me and pull me up and give me a ministerial post or something like that” attitude?
Well, maybe they have smartened up and are now saving their breaths against making more mindless statements which will not only smear the issue further but make them look stupid. Just like what happened to the 2 MCA “tukang gosok” mentioned earlier. However, I think this is very unlikely as they wouldn’t possibly be that “smart”.
The other possible explanation would be that, PM Najib has lost the support of his “backup-ers”; and they have decided to leave him to rot whilst asking around to “guess” who’ll be put up next so that they can start “bodek-ing” him now. I think, very soon we’ll see someone coming out to say something “important” and tons of others will start making opened/press statements supporting him. This man would then be the likeliest person to be fielded as the next “PM” candidate.
Do observe their attitude and responses to statements made by any of their “high ranked” members and you may soon be able to guess who the man is. One character to look for is the one man who has hoped to get some high post by marrying a PM’s daughter, only to find that PM being replaced before he could reach safe grounds. His desperation will have him trying to impress the next potential premier-in-line, to regain what he lost in 2008. It wouldn’t be too hard to sniff this out as his “pheromone” level would surely be high then.
I sometimes feel pity towards our PM as he is facing threats and challenges everywhere. His rivals, his subordinates, and now EVEN HIS WIFE is threatening his position as a PM. I am amazed at how he managed to hang on amidst all these “stresses”. Maybe the money’s the motivation. But now, his challenge isn’t only on threats to his POSITION. The threat is now on his character. He will either be seen as a man with no guts, or a man that would attract curses and spit when his name is mentioned. Why so?
GE 13 is just around the corner, and his reputation is already in the gallows. His “gang” is abandoning him as there is no where he can take them to anymore. They need a better “ship” to sail on. While his successor can still win the GE with a simple majority and retain his presidency during UMNO’s general assembly, Najib may not be so lucky as to go through all that now. His words are of very much lesser weight now and thus, UMNO is finding someone better to replace him before GE 13, or else, the majority (if there is any) would be even smaller. He cannot command the required support to sail through the election anymore.
For that same reason, he wouldn't be able to stage an exit like Pak Lah did, for the pressure from the rakyat as well as the opposition back then wasn’t as strong as it is now. Pak Lah was merely “inactive”; this one has too much “sh*t”. However, if he quits now, he would be seen as a coward, who fails in times of turmoil. And if he hung on, he’s going to be ousted in a terrible manner too, and this would be a great shame to his family, especially to his late father. Besides that, his wife would surely get upset too as the jewelry and bags would stop.
He is thus stuck, cornered everywhere. Story after story of the wrongs he has done keep surfacing, and I have a feeling they come from within the party itself. Just like how the Altantuya murder case got linked to him, I think many more shall surface, and it is all controlled by someone sitting in a high chair behind them all, the one man who wished to literally OWN Malaysia indefinitely.
To me, the possession of the 24 million ring, and the bracelet was a very stupid move by Najib and his wife. Someone might have seen her interest in jewelries and bags, and cast the bait for her to fall for, and she did. Next time, if you want to assassinate a politician, GET THEM INTERESTED IN THOSE FANCY STUFF and gather evidence when they make purchases. Easier still, give it to them as gifts, and provide evidence of the transaction.
Correct me if I am wrong. Gifts given by a corporation, or any leaders of any country to a minister and his wife officially, are PROPERTY OF THE GOVERNMENT and not for individual possession. They cannot sell or transfer the possession of these items to any individual. Due to the nature of their position, they should also not accept expensive gifts personally, especially when it is unofficial and done secretly. Such act can be classified as a bribe.
So whether Rosmah bought the ring and the bracelet or not, they are doomed. If she claims that it is a gift, it would either be a case of bribery, or it would belong to the government, and she would need to surrender it one day. On the other hand, if she claims that it was bought by herself, or by her husband, they would need to justify how they got the 24 million to buy that ring. And saying that they won Toto, Magnum or Damacai is totally unacceptable.
The next question would be, Was she really wearing them, or was the photo photoshopped? This, I shall leave to the experts, and witnesses who have or have not seen her wearing it. Hmmm by the way, for someone to notice the ring in the first place, that someone must either be really “expert” in high classed jewelry or he/she was leaked the news by some hidden hands.
All in all, I have a feeling that UMNO is all out to kick Najib out. And they are not going to let him know until the very last minute. And by then, some devastating news would probably be deliberately leaked to get the public to force him down. At these crucial moments, a wrong move by PR’s leader would also land them in Kamunting; and GE 13 would be one shocking General Election in the history of Malaysia. However, I do hope I am wrong on this.
One ring, many questions — Atan Shaharuddin
JULY 29 — The story of the million-dollar diamond ring has finally made the leap from the Internet to the mainstream press. And Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor has denied it is hers.
This is the latest allegation against her since even before her husband became prime minister in April 2009. One has to wonder why she is a favourite target of unflattering gossip and innuendoes.
All said and done, the PM's wife's denial raises more questions rather than sending the rumour to oblivion
1) Why did Rosmah take so long to deny this allegation which has been floating around for nearly a month?
This is serious business. Who brings a ring costing RM24 million? Does the PM have that much to spend on a diamond ring? Or Rosmah herself? Can we have their public declaration of their wealth and businesses, if any?
2) Even if we buy this story about Jacob the jeweller using her name for money-laundering activities, why her? Isn't that too random? It's like the £3 billion golden yacht belonging to a Malaysian businessman. Random. And a hoax.
More importantly, does she know this jeweller with a less than a clean past? Do her associates or friends know Jacob?
3) Some of Umno blogs have not denied that the ring was in the country but that it was only RM24 million and not US$24 million. They also said the ring is no longer in the country and has been returned.
So, is the ring gone? Or still here. This is too important to sweep under the carpet.
4) Others say that the ring was a present to the first lady. Who gave her the ring in such a graceless way? And why?
There are just too many questions and this will weigh heavily on Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Is this why his actions are a bit irrational, pissing off the Christians one day and the Wahhabi Muslims the next.
Mr Prime Minister, you have to explain this. Your political opponents will take you to the cleaners on this one, pun intended.
The Malaysian Insider, I hope you too get to the bottom of this story. Don't rely on spin doctors in the PMO or foreign consultants like FBC Media. Their job is to keep their job while serving factions within Putrajaya.
This one ring is more than the gossip or scandals over the past years. This can bring down a government faster than any street rally can ever hope to achieve.
| Rosmah: Diamond ring allegation a slander | |||
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"This is nothing funny, this is slander... what have I not experienced? I have experienced all (slander).
Badrul claimed that a purported Customs Department information system printout, which he would hand over to the anti-graft body, implicates Rosmah as receiver of the diamond ring.
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