The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) columnist Andrew Hornery stood by his report that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's wife Rosmah Mansor spent lavishly on designer Carl Kapp's clothing during a private holiday in the city.

"Kapp said she ordered 61 garments. Said it was a "massive" order. His stuff is expensive. She wasn't buying T-shirts," retorted Hornery on Twitter yesterday.

NONE In replying to other users, Hornery (left) maintained that his source is "rock solid" and insisted that Rosmah's purchases amounted to a considerable sum .

Having courted plenty of notoriety for his reports on Rosmah's 'lavish' spending on designer wear, Hornery said that he intended to stay away from Malaysian shores.

"I won't be holidaying in Malaysia anytime soon. I've been hung, drawn and quartered in print there.

"Shoot the messenger when the truth hurts?" asked the prominent lifestyle columnist on Twitter .

Yes, no, ping-pong game

Last week, Hornery in his 'Private Sydney' column said Rosmah had spent A$100,000 (approximately RM325,000) on 61 outfits at Kapp's boutique.

This was dismissed by Rosmah as a "wildly exaggerated" claim, telling Malaysiakini on Monday that she has "always been the victim".

NONE Kapp later issued a statement saying Rosmah did shop at his boutique but denied ever saying that she spent A$100,000.

In his statement to Malaysiakini , Kapp (right) said Rosmah and her "sizeable group" during the visit "made various purchases".

The A$100,000 was calculated by fashion blogger Frockwriter , on Jan 17, who was first to report on the matter.

"Based on the average prices in his collection - which start at A$400 (RM1,290) and reach several thousand dollars, Frockwriter estimates it could be approaching A$100,000. Kapp was paid upfront," blogger Patty Huntingon had written.

Hornery, who then picked up the story, interviewed Kapp and the Malaysian High Commission to verify facts before calling Rosmah "first lady of shopping" in his Saturday column.

Hornery has since become a target for pro-Umno bloggers, who have been going all out to smear his character with provoking statements on his sexuality .

Nevertheless, Hornery told his Twitter followers that because of Rosmah's popularity, he would be dishing out more in "an exclusive follow up" in Private Sydney column tomorrow.

"In honour of tomorrow's column I think it is fitting I have a very spicy laksa for lunch as a tribute to my new friends in Malaysia. Enjoy!" Hornery tweeted this morning.