The Malaysian Insight

ROSMAH Mansor, self-styled former first lady of Malaysia, came from humble beginnings but later rose in fame as one of the most controversial personalities in the country. 

Rosmah, 70, was born in Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan, in 1951. Her parents were schoolteachers. 

In 1987, she married Najib Razak, who was then youth and sports minister. This was the second marriage for both. They have two children, Nooryana Najib and Ashman Najib, and five stepchildren from their previous marriages. 

Her penchant for the fine things in life, however, only made headlines when Najib became prime minister in 2009. 

The Wall Street Journal reported how she spent at least US$6 million (RM26.9 million) between 2008 and 2015 in shopping havens including London and New York. 

She also spent millions on luxury handbags from Hermes, said to cost US$13 million in total. 

Her most controversial purchase however came in the form of a pink diamond that no one has seen. It is said to be worth US$27 million and is from American jewellery designer Lorraine Schwartz.

When asked how she could afford such luxurious items when her husband was a civil servant, Rosmah had said it was because she had been saving since she was young, once again drawing flak from the public and spawning various memes and caricatures of her.

Rosmah, with a hairdo to rival Imelda Marcos, former first lady of the Philippines who also shares a similar lifestyle, and whose husband Ferdinand Marcos also fell in disgrace, drew the ire of the public in 2015 when she lamented about how expensive her hairdo was becoming.

She said that due to rising fuel prices, she had to spend RM1,200 on house calls by stylists for dye jobs, and RM500 for tailored dresses. 

At the time, the minimum wage in the country was only RM900. 

How it all came crashing down

Rosmah’s life of luxury came to a halt in 2018 after Barisan Nasional and then prime minister Najib lost in the general election and Pakatan Harapan came to power.

This saw Najib being slapped with multiple corruption charges in relation to sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), and its subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd. 

It was during the investigation into 1MDB that the couple’s extravagant lifestyle came to light.

In a raid on May 17, 2018, at Pavilion Residences luxury apartment, police carted away 284 boxes containing luxury handbags and 72 bags filled with jewellery, cash of various denominations, watches and other valuables.

The couple would later claim that many of the items were gifts, by virtue of Najib’s status as prime minister.

Last week, after four years of appeals, the Federal Court found Najib guilty and sentenced him to 12 years in jail. He is now serving time in Kajang Prison.

While Najib was dealing with his corruption trial, Rosmah was similarly engaged.

She was charged with one count of soliciting RM187.5 million from Jepak Holdings Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin for her help for the company in landing a RM1.25 billion government contract to outfit rural schools in Sarawak with solar equipment between March and April 2016. 

She also faced two counts of receiving RM1.5 million and RM5 million at the prime minister’s official residence and then later at her Jalan Langgak Duta private residence in Kuala Lumpur between December 2016 and September 2017.

After close to two years on trial and 25 witnesses, judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan delivered the guilty verdict and sentenced her to 10 years in prison with a fine of RM970 million, with an additional 10 years’ imprisonment if she fails to pay the fine.

However, the judge granted her a stay of execution. She is currently out on a RM2 million bail. – September 1, 2022.