Malaysia says US has returned US$57m in 1MDB funds

Published Tue, May 7, 2019 · 04:51 AM

    [KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia on Tuesday said the US government had returned some US$57 million in funds recovered from 1MDB assets in the "first installment" of funds to be repatriated under a US kleptocracy asset recovery initiative.

    The US Department of Justice (DoJ), in the biggest ever case in its anti-kleptocracy programme, is pursuing billions of dollars it says were misappropriated from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state fund founded by former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak.

    The US$57 million repatriated to Malaysia was forfeited from Hollywood film production company Red Granite Pictures, which is linked to Najib's stepson Riza Aziz, according to the Malaysian Attorney-General's chambers (AGC).

    The DoJ is also in the process of remitting another US$139 million, pending the sale of a Manhattan property linked to fugitive Malaysian financier, Low Taek Jho or Jho Low, the AGC said in a statement.

    REUTERS

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