KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 — Malaysian national shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei denied speculation that Rosmah Mansor, wife of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, had anything to do with his eight-month doping ban.
Lee was found guilty of having the non-performance enhancer dexamethasone in his system after consuming a herbal medicine, with reports saying that said medicine was given to him by the wife of a “very influential man”.
While speculation had been rife that the person responsible for Lee’s predicament is the prime minister’s wife, the former world number one has quickly denied said rumours.
“I can confirm it is not her. However, I am not in liberty to reveal the name of the person (who gave him the tablets),” Lee was quoted as saying by Malaysiakini.
"Now that there is an outcome from BWF (Badminton World Federation), I would like to put this episode behind me and to focus on regaining my status and bring glory to my country," he added.
According to Malaysiakini, a source familiar with the matter pointed out that the wife of a former Barisan Nasional politician was the one responsible for handing the herbal medicine to Lee, but requested that it did not publish the names of the former politician or his wife.
"This person had given him the herbal concoction without realising that its contents would cause problems.
"There was no malice on her part. It was just an honest mistake," the source was quoted as saying.
