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US prosecutors unveiled on Thursday criminal charges against two former bankers of Goldman Sachs and Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, linked to the so-called billion-dollar robbery of Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.
Prosecutors at the US Attorney's Office in Brooklyn have announced that Tim Leissner, a former Goldman Sachs partner in Asia, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to violate the law on corrupt practices abroad, and agreed to lose $ 43.7 million.
Roger Ng, the other former defendant of banker Goldman, was arrested in Malaysia at the request of US authorities and should be extradited, according to John Marzulli, a spokesman for the prosecution.
The third person, the financier known as Jho Low, is still on the run. The Malaysian authorities have issued an arrest warrant against him and have also requested an Interpol red notice soliciting badistance from the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, India and the United States. , Myanmar, China and Hong Kong.
Low, whose Malaysian pbadport was revoked, had previously denied any wrongdoing.
The lawyers for Leissner and Low could not be contacted immediately for comment. We did not know immediately who represented Ng.
Goldman has put his former co-head of Asian investment bank, Andrea Vella, on leave for his role in the firm's involvement in the case, pending the review of allegations, has reported Bloomberg Thursday at the address https://bloom.bg/2PwRYka.
The government of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak created 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB, in 2009. An estimated $ 4.5 billion was diverted by 1MDB by senior fund officials and their collaborators between 2009 and 2014, according to the US Department of Justice. alleged.
Najib has always denied having committed wrongful acts related to alleged corruption involving 1MDB.
According to the indictment against him, Low has never held an official position with the fund, but he has worked as an intermediary in many transactions with 1 MBD involving Goldman and others.
Prosecutors say Low, Ng and Leissner have conspired to launder the proceeds of fraud involving 1MDB via the US financial system. Part of the laundered funds would then have been used to pay bribes to do business for Goldman. Other funds were used for the personal benefit of the defendants, including US luxury real estate and art purchases.
Goldman did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and indicated that he was cooperating fully with the authorities.
According to prosecutors, the investment bank generated commissions of approximately $ 600 million for its work with 1MDB, which included three bond offerings in 2012 and 2013, which raised $ 6.5 billion . Leissner, Ng and others have received important bonuses related to this income.
While US prosecutors had already filed civil suits for the confiscation of badets, allegedly purchased with part of the stolen funds, it is the first criminal charges brought by the Justice Department against individuals. under the Federal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act abroad.
At least six countries, including Malaysia, the United States and Switzerland, have investigated alleged thefts in 1MDB.
The 1MDB investigations in the United States and Malaysia have multiplied since Najib suddenly lost the May legislative elections against Mahathir Mohamad, who returned to power 15 years after his retirement from the post of prime minister.
Since the election, the Malaysian authorities have laid 38 charges against Najib. Many of the multiple counts of corruption, money laundering and criminal breach of trust are related to 1MDB.
Najib has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has always denied any wrongdoing.
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