Najib's wife spends $130k on shopping, A$20k a night penthouse and $24m ring
Malaysian PM's wife spends $130k on shopping spree
The New Paper
Tuesday, Jan 24, 2012
www.asiaone.com/A1MEDIA/news/..._rosmah43o.jpg
That's how Madam Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, has been described in the Australian media.
Malaysian liberal news portal Malaysiakini.com quoted a report in the Sydney Morning Herald as saying that Madam Rosmah allegedly spent A$100,000 (S$133,250) at a Sydney boutique.
The report appeared in a column called Private Sydney, which carries stories about celebrities.
Quoting Sydney designer Carl Kapp, the newspaper claimed that Kapp's "biggest customer" spent the huge amount during a private holiday in the Australian city just over a fortnight ago.
The report also claimed that the VIP entourage stayed in the A$20,000-a-night penthouse at the newly-minted five-star Darling Hotel in Sydney.
The column also claimed that Madam Rosmah had reportedly requested for "valet parking for her limo" and was flying the designer out to Malaysia for fitting of the clothes she ordered.
The Sydney Morning Herald also claimed that the designer will be flying out with a collection of 61 dresses, including pants and tops, which Madam Rosmah had allegedly ordered.
"All made from the finest silk and in a variety of exotic colours and prints, Kapp said.
"His new muse had 'a very good eye for colour and she likes a lot of prints'," the prominent daily's lifestyle column reported.
The designer was quoted as saying that Madam Rosmah was nothing like what her critics accused her of being but was "absolutely gracious and easy to deal with".
The news about Madam Rosmah's shopping first appeared in fashion blog Flockwriter on Jan 17. Malaysiakini reported that it had contacted Mr Najib's office for comment.
Madam Rosmah came under fire last year after it was reported that she had ordered a RM24 million diamond ring from New York.
Last July, former opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat member Badrul Hisham Shaharin claimed that a "natural fancy grey cushion cut diamond" was brought into Malaysia via the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
He also produced a photo of a Customs Department computer screen showing that Madam Rosmah was the intended recipient of the ring purchased from Jacob & Co.
Mr Najib denied that his wife bought the ring, while she described the allegation as "slander". Last October, Mr Najib's daughter, who was not named, was reported by the Western Australian of having spent lavishly during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth.
The daily later issued a correction to the report, which cited anonymous sources, after Mr Najib said that his daughter was not in Perth at the time.