Ex-Goldman Sachs banker seeks review of 1MDB charges in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR - Former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng has asked Malaysian prosecutors to review criminal charges against him for allegedly abetting the sale of US$6.5 billion (S$8.9 billion) in bonds tied to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), his lawyer said on Thursday (Sept 10). 

The request from Ng, a Malaysian national, comes days after prosecutors dropped criminal charges against Goldman Sachs following a deal which would see the US investment bank pay US$3.9 billion to the Malaysian government.

Ng’s lawyer Tan Hock Chuan told a Kuala Lumpur court he had applied to the country’s Attorney-General to have four charges against his client lessened or dropped. 

"On the instructions of my client, we have sent a letter of representation to the A-G to review the charges against him," he told reporters after the hearing. 

The court proceedings will continue on Nov 20. 

Ng is currently in the United States, where he has been charged with conspiring to launder money and bribe government officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi through bond offerings that Goldman Sachs had handled. 

Under an extradition deal, Ng will be returned to Malaysia after the completion of his trial in New York, which is due to begin next year.

Ng has pleaded not guilty to the charges in both countries. 

The US Department of Justice estimates US$4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB between 2009 and 2014, including some of the funds that Goldman Sachs helped raise.

The bank has consistently denied wrongdoing.