US investigators probe Goldman Sachs over Malaysian fund 1MDB: WSJ report

[BENGALURU] US law enforcement officials are attempting to identify whether Goldman Sachs Group Inc violated federal law after failing to flag a transaction in Malaysia, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people it said were familiar with the investigation.

The probe concerns US$3 billion raised by Goldman Sachs through a bond issue for Malaysian state investor 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). The focal point is whether the bank complied with the Bank Secrecy Act, the main US anti-money laundering law.

Half of the proceeds from the sale, which were transferred by Goldman Sachs to a Swiss bank account controlled by 1MDB, disappeared with some ending up in the Malaysian prime minister's bank account, the report said, citing people described as familiar with the matter and bank-transfer information viewed by the Wall Street Journal.

The investigators believe that Goldman Sachs may have had grounds to believe that the money was not used for its intended purpose, the report said. The bank has not been accused of wrongdoing, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The bank and the US Justice Department were not immediately available for comment.

REUTERS