Feb 5 mention for 1MDB cases against Goldman Sachs S'pore

The Kuala Lumpur High Court today set Feb 5 for mention of the government's RM27.2 billion 1MDB bond cases against Goldman Sachs (Singapore) Pte.

Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan fixed the date after Deputy Public Prosecutor Zaki Asyraf Zubir informed the court that the notice of summons had yet to be served on the company due to technical grounds.

“There was an old date on the summons (that was) issued to Goldman Sachs (Singapore). Due to that, Singapore Goldman Sachs refused to accept our summons served on them,” he told the court today.

Following that, Mohamed Zaini set Feb 5 as the new mention date.

Also present were lawyers Krishna Dallumah and Prem Ramachandran, representing Goldman Sachs (Singapore).

Meanwhile, at the KL Magistrate's Court before Magistrate Nur Farah Ain Roslan, Zaki Asyraf informed the court that the prosecution will issue a new notice of summons with the correct date.

Nur Farah also set Feb 5 for mention.

The High Court had previously fixed today to hear the prosecution’s application to transfer the case involving Goldman Sachs (Singapore) from the Magistrate’s Court to the High Court.

In December last year, Malaysia filed four charges against investment bank and financial services company Goldman Sachs at the Magistrate’s Court for allegedly leaving out material facts on the sale of bonds between a subsidiary of 1MDB and Aabar Investment PJS Ltd (Aabar).

The offences were allegedly committed at 1MDB's premises in Kuala Lumpur between March 19, 2012, and November 11, 2013.

The company was charged under Section 179 (c) of the Capital Markets and Services Act 2007, which carries a penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years and a fine of not less than RM1 million, upon conviction.

Former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng Chong Hwa has also claimed trial to four counts of abetting the company, in reference to the sale of the same bonds by omitting material facts and making false statements.

The United States Department of Justice has estimated that about US$4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB between 2009 and 2014.

- Bernama