ROSMAH Mansor, whose codename “the Madam” was given by wanted businessman Low Taek Jho, had viewed a pink diamond necklace at a New York hotel in 2013, charge documents by the United States Department of Justice said.

She viewed the necklace together with Low and her husband, “Malaysian Official #1”, Najib Razak, on September 28 that year.

“Approximately three weeks earlier, the pink diamond necklace was purchased using approximately US$27.3 million (RM114 million), which funds were sent from a shell company beneficially owned and controlled by Low and other co-conspirators,” the filing with the US District Court Eastern District of New York said.

The filing also states that on or about October 10, 2014, Low, a “Co-Conspirator #1”, and others had wired US$4.1 million to the bank account of a jeweller “to pay for certain gold jewellery for the wife of Malaysian Official #1”.

The filing was a joint charge against Low and Ng Chong Hwa, also known as Roger Ng, for conspiracy to launder billions of dollars embezzled from 1MDB, and to paying bribes to various Malaysian and Abu Dhabi officials.

Ng was arrested in Malaysia yesterday while Low, who has denied the charges through his spokesman, remains at large.

Details in the charge describe how Low, Ng, and Co-Conspirator #1 referred to the wife of MO1 as “the Madam”.

Low is also described as making arrangements to transfer money from an account in a British Virgin Island company controlled by Co-Conspirator #1, so as to “settle madam cakes 2”.

MO1 is described as “a Malaysian national and high-ranking official in the Malaysian government and the MOF (Finance Ministry) from in or around at least 2009 until in or around 2018 with high-level authority to approve 1MDB business decisions”.

This is the closest official confirmation that MO1 is indeed the former prime minister, although the DoJ filing did not name him in full.

Rosmah is also not named in full.

In Malaysia, Rosmah is facing 17 charges – 12 for money-laundering and five for failing to declare income to the Inland Revenue Board.

Najib is facing 38 charges of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power, and money laundering.

Low has also been charged by Malaysia in absentia for money-laundering. – November 2, 2018.