6-9-2023 (NEW YORK) Malaysia is pushing for the return of a former Goldman Sachs banker, Roger Ng, who was convicted in New York last year for his involvement in the multi-billion-dollar embezzlement from Malaysia’s 1MDB sovereign wealth fund. The country is keen to have Ng back on home soil before he begins serving his 10-year prison sentence in the United States.
US District Judge Margo Brodie, presiding in Brooklyn, has granted a one-month extension to Roger Ng’s scheduled surrender date, delaying it from September 6 to October 6. Federal prosecutors requested this delay, citing the need for additional time to coordinate with Kuala Lumpur regarding Ng’s potential trial in Malaysia.
Prosecutors have assured that they are working to ensure that the process of Ng’s return to Malaysia will not unnecessarily delay the commencement of his US sentence.
Roger Ng’s legal team agreed to the one-month postponement, while Marc Agnifilo, one of his lawyers, declined to comment on the matter.
The case revolves around approximately $6.5 billion in bonds that Goldman Sachs helped 1MDB sell in 2012 and 2013. US prosecutors allege that $4.5 billion of this sum was misappropriated by officials, bankers, and their associates.
In March 2022, Ng, aged 51, was convicted on charges of bribery and money laundering conspiracy. A year later, when sentencing him, Judge Brodie described his embezzlement as “a crime of pure greed.”
During a court hearing held last month, US prosecutor Drew Rolle indicated that Ng could be returned to Malaysia to face trial there once he is in US custody. Agnifilo also revealed during the hearing that Malaysia sought Ng’s cooperation in an ongoing 1MDB investigation.
Roger Ng was arrested in Malaysia in November 2018 and subsequently agreed to be extradited to the United States three months later.
In a separate communication to Judge Brodie on Tuesday, lawyers appointed by Malaysia’s government earlier this month claimed that the United States had “backtracked” on its commitments regarding Ng’s surrender. These lawyers regarded the matter as a “very serious issue.”
Another former Goldman Sachs banker, Tim Leissner, who was Ng’s superior, pleaded guilty and testified against Ng during the trial. Leissner is yet to be sentenced.
Jho Low, the alleged mastermind behind the 1MDB scandal, faces criminal charges but remains at large.
