Rosmah’s US$346 million 1MDB haul came mostly from Hong Kong, US, UAE, Malaysia court hears

The wife of jailed former prime minister Najib Razak is accused of using money from the plundered state fund to buy luxury goods

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Rosmah Mansor arrives with her husband Najib Razak at an event in 2011. She is accused of using funds from Malaysia’s 1MDB to buy millions of US dollars worth of handbags, jewellery and other luxury goods. Photo: Reuters

Published: 1:26pm, 12 Jun 2024Updated: 2:29pm, 12 Jun 2024

A massive collection of jewellery, handbags and other luxury goods worth more than US$346 million were amassed from vendors in at least a dozen countries using money from Malaysia’s plundered 1MDB state fund, a court has heard.

The revelation came in a statement of claim 1Malaysia Development Bhd, SRC International Sdn Bhd and four other 1MDB subsidiaries filed last week against Rosmah Mansor – wife of jailed former prime minister Najib Razak – and one other individual.

The goods were bought from 48 different vendors, according to the papers filed at Malaysia’s High Court – nine of which were in Hong Kong, seven each in the United States and United Arab Emirates, and four in India.

Others were located in Indonesia, Italy, Lebanon, Thailand, Turkey, Britain, the British Virgin Islands, Mauritius, Panama and Singapore, said the statement of claim filed via the Lim Chee Wee Partnership law firm.

In the statement of claim, the plaintiffs alleged that eight entities that were registered offshore made 320 purchases of luxury goods with funds amounting to US$346,010,489 between 2010 and 2014.

The luxury items were received by Rosmah, they claimed.