Finally, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak broke his silence on his wife's alleged purchase of a US$24 million blue diamond ring and that his in-laws from Kazakhstan were part of a Mafia gang with Russian roots. But it may have been better if he had kept quiet after all.
He is now being accused of using strong-arm tacitics and imagery to whitewash his reputation over the the diamond ring and Mafia-in-laws scandal that scandalized the region after top Indonesian newspaper Kompas broke the news on August 4.
"Did Kompas retract their report and was the apology for misreporting and defaming Najib or did the Kompas editor who interviewed Najib merely apologize as a matter of courtesy for embarrassing Najib when they met. Also, why so convenient that Najib suddenly granted Kompas the interview. This looks like another ill-advised move for Najib, it's another banana skin for him," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.
Kompas 'apology' backfires: Najib's denial on ring, Mafia in-laws fail to convince
