Columnist defends Rosmah's shopping spree report

The Sydney Morning Herald’s columnist Andrew Hornery vouches his claim that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s wife Rosmah Mansor spent more than RM300,000 during her holiday there.

"FLOM Rosmah Mansor says I 'wildly exaggerated' her shopping trip to Sydney? I stand by every word. My source is rock solid. Free press rules,” said Hornery on his Twitter this afternoon.

FLOM, the acronym for First Lady of Malaysia, was put on the Prime Minister Office's official website to manage Rosmah's affairs.
However, after courting controversy, the division was removed from the website, and in its place another page 'DSR' or Datin Seri Rosmah dedicated to her activities and awards was created.

Hornery in his 'Private Sdyney' column on Saturday called Rosmah "the first lady of shopping" and alleged that she spent A$100,000 (RM325,000) at a designer boutique in the city.

Hornery was responding to Rosmah’s dismissal of his report that she had spent extravagantly while holidaying in Sydney.

“It's all rubbish, wildly exaggerated and not true,” Rosmah told Malaysiakini and The Sun yesterday.      
                              
Hornery hints of more to come  

The gossip columnist quoted Sydney designer Carl Kapp (right) as saying that Rosmah was the latter’s “biggest customer”.

According to the column, Rosmah had made the purchases during a “private holiday” about three weeks ago.

It also stated that Najib and Rosmah stayed at the five-star Darling Hotel penthouse and paid A$20,000 (RM65,100) per night apart from requesting for “valet parking for her limo”.

According to Hornery, Rosmah had Capp flown out to Malaysia next month for fittings of the clothes she ordered.

Asked on the truth of the allegations, Rosmah lamented that she “is always the victim”, referring to numerous other allegations of extravagant spending habit levelled against her.

The most controversial claims were that she had purchased a diamond ring worth RM24 million, which she has vehemently denied, and that she owns several luxury handbags designed by Hermès.

Yesterday, Hornery warmly greeted his “new Malaysian followers” on the micro-blogging site and alluded that there could be more that need to be unravelled.

"FLOM is quite a source of fascination, no doubt she bought more in Sydney, we are yet to discover," he twitted.