With Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor being sentenced yesterday for charges of corruption, Malaysians are now hot on the heels of fugitive businessman Jho Low.
However, are there other individuals we should also be focusing on?
Billion Dollar Whale (BDW) author, Tom Wright recently shared how many other businessmen may have also been complicit in Rosmah’s hobby of collecting luxury items.
Recently, Tom Wright took to his Twitter to share a story of how Rosmah was able to become so “exorbitantly rich”.
“Remember the 567 handbags found in her apartment in KL? Well, this businessman’s name was on a bunch of the boxes stuffed with Birkins. He’d given them as a gift, and he was frantic,” tweeted Tom.
As a journalist, Tom jumped at this new information back then. Since he was on friendly terms with this businessman, he quickly sent him a WhatsApp message asking if he would be willing to help with his reporting, to which the businessman declined.
Then, he got on the phone with the said businessman.
“I have to say; he exploded with an anger that I’ve never experienced as a journalist either before or since. I was shaking as I got off the phone.”
The frantic businessman even threatened to lodge a police report against Tom.
According to Tom, the businessman had to give Rosmah the Birkins to win contracts.
The businessman’s wife, who has never been a fan of Rosmah, “hated the situation”.
“She had whispered her disquiet to me when her husband went to the toilet. But everyone was locked into the graft,” added Tom.
Will the businessman remain silent?
As he reflected on the phone call, Tom pointed out how this story shows that a democratic wave in Malaysia in 2018 (when Pakatan Harapan toppled the Barisan Nasional coalition) “did not lead (the) businessman to open up, and help (him) to uncover more about Rosmah. In fact, it led to the opposite.”
“Under Najib and Rosmah, everyone was caught in this system, and when it collapsed, everyone covered their ass.”
He said everyone knew it was corrupt, and that the businessman could have done more by supporting journalists to uncover the facts. Still, he probably did not “because he thought the winds would change direction and Najib — and Rosmah — would come back to power. Perhaps they will. Perhaps he’s smart.”
“For now, though, it certainly seems as if Malaysia, a day after its national day, has turned an era-defining corner.”
“Perhaps this businessman will change how he operates. Or perhaps I’m just a naive Mat Salleh,” he added.
“This businessman was just one among many. You don’t get to a QUARTER OF A BILLION DOLLARS in luxury items from a few corruptors,” Tom concluded.
We are no experts, but we hope that Tom is right and justice will prevail!
Also read: “Injustice!” – Rosmah Cries In Court, Says That She Has Never Asked For Bribes From Any Party
