Stolen 1MDB Funds Are Focus of U.S. Criminal Investigation
By Edvard Pettersson
August 11, 2017, 7:15 AM GMT+8 August 11, 2017, 10:50 AM GMT+8
The U.S. is moving forward with a criminal investigation into money stolen from a Malaysian state investment fund that allegedly was used to acquire about $1.7 billion in real estate, art, jewelry and other assets.
Justice Department officials asked a judge in Los Angeles to put on hold civil forfeiture lawsuits against assets acquired by Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, and others involved with 1MDB because pursuing these cases may hamper the criminal investigation.
The U.S. investigation is part of a global effort to track how much of the $6 billion that 1MDB raised for development projects was allegedly embezzled or involved in money laundering. Switzerland, Singapore and Luxembourg are among the countries also investigating the roles played by banks and individuals.
Separately, 1MDB paid $350 million to an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund on Thursday ahead of an Aug. 12 deadline, the Malaysian Insight reported, citing bankers it didn』t identify. The payment is part of an arbitration settlement agreement with International Petroleum Investment Co. after a debt dispute that brought up further allegations of missing funds and possible fraud.
『Destruction of Evidence』
An FBI agent warned in a U.S. court filing that information disclosed in the civil cases may reveal 「potential targets and subjects of the investigation and the investigative techniques that have been and will be used in the investigation.」
“Such disclosures could result in the destruction of evidence, flight of potential subjects and targets, or the identification and intimidation of potential witnesses,” according to the agent’s declaration.
Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, had no immediate comment on the Justice Department’s filings.
In its civil cases, the U.S. has alleged that from 2009 through 2015, more than $4.5 billion belonging to 1MDB was diverted by high-level officials of the fund and their associates.
The Low assets the U.S. is trying to seize include a stake in New York’s Park Lane Hotel, a $107 million interest in EMI Music Publishing, a $35 million Bombardier Jet and a $30 million penthouse at Time Warner Center in New York.
Diamonds, Picasso
In a second round of 1MDB-related forfeiture lawsuits filed in June, the Justice Department alleged that a $1.29 million heart-shaped diamond and a $3.8 million diamond pendant Low gave in 2014 to his then-girlfriend, actress Miranda Kerr, were bought with stolen money.
Low allegedly also gave a $3.2 million Picasso painting to actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who played the lead in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” a movie the U.S. says was financed by Riza Aziz, a stepson of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, using misappropriated 1MDB funds.
Najib, who until last year was the chairman of 1MDB’s advisory board, has denied any wrongdoing and was cleared by Malaysia’s attorney general.
The Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Finance and 1MDB didn』t immediately reply to emails seeking comment on the latest U.S. filings. 1MDB is wholly-owned by the finance ministry and it has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Malaysia’s prime minister and attorney general responded angrily to the U.S. forfeiture actions in June and suggested they were politically motivated.
Low also issued a statement in June, saying the U.S. government was continuing 「inappropriate efforts to seize assets despite not having proven that any improprieties have occurred.」
「We look forward to the court being presented with the actual facts which demonstrate that the DOJ’s case is completely without foundation,」 he said through a representative.
The case is U.S. v. “The Wolf of Wall Street,” 16-cv-05362, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (Los Angeles).
美國刑事調查的焦點~~被盜1MDB資金
美國正在向馬來西亞國家投資基金竊取的金錢進行刑事調查，據稱這筆資金被用來收購17億美元的房地產，藝術品，珠寶和其他資產。
司法部官員要求洛杉磯的一名法官暫緩對馬來西亞金融家Low Taek Jho（也稱為Jho Low）以及其他涉及1MDB的資產收購的民事訴訟，因為追究這些案件可能會妨礙刑事調查。
美國的調查是全球努力的一部分，以追蹤1MDB為發展項目籌集的60億美元中有多少是涉嫌貪污或涉嫌洗錢的。 瑞士，新加坡和盧森堡也是調查銀行和個人所發揮的作用的國家之一。
此外，據馬來西亞分析報道，馬來西亞一馬公司在八月十二號截止日期前的星期四（也就是昨天，8月11日）向阿布達比主權財富基金支付了3.5億美元，但有關銀行家沒有確認此事。 在債務糾紛後，國際石油投資公司的付款是與國際石油投資公司簽訂的仲裁協議協議的一部分，從而提出了有關資金缺失和可能發生欺詐的進一步指控。
「破壞證據」
美國聯邦調查局調查員在美國法庭上警告說，民事案件中所披露的信息可能會揭示「調查的潛在目標和主題以及已經和將要用於調查的調查手段」。
根據該調查員的聲明，「這種披露可能導致證據的破壞，潛在的涉案者和目標將匿藏或潛逃，或潛在的證人身份被暴露和遭到恐嚇或生命威脅」。
美國洛杉磯律師的發言人湯姆·米羅澤克（Thom Mrozek）對司法部的文件沒有立即評論。
在民事案件中，美國指稱，從2009年到2015年，屬於1MDB的超過45億美元的資金被其基金及其聯營公司的高級官員所轉移。
美國司法部試圖充公的涉及資產包括劉特佐所持有的紐約Park Lane酒店的股份，紐約時代華納中心所擁有的EMI音樂出版社價值1.07億美元的利潤，3500萬美元的龐巴迪噴氣機和3000萬美元的頂層公寓。
鑽石，畢卡索
在六月份提交的第二輪1MDB相關的充公訴訟中，司法部指稱，2014年，劉特佐用從一馬公司偷來的錢，購買了一枚價值129萬美元的心形鑽石和380萬美元的鑽石吊墜，並贈送給當時的女朋友，女演員米蘭達·克爾（Miranda Kerr）。
據稱，劉特佐還贈送了320萬美元的畢卡索繪畫給演員李奧納多（Leonardo DiCaprio）。而李奧納多則在「華爾街狼」這電影里扮演了主角。這部美國電影由馬來西亞首相納吉的繼子，里扎（Riza Aziz）資助，而有關資金是來自1MDB。
直到去年為止，馬來西亞首相納吉還是一馬公司顧問委員會主席，他否認涉及任何不法行為，而馬來西亞總檢察長阿班迪也為他背書，證明納吉沒有瀆職或貪污。
另外，首相辦公室，財政部和1MDB在媒體要求針對美國司法部最新的文件發表評論時，卻沒有立即回復有關媒體的電子郵件。 1MDB由財政部全資擁有，一直都在否認涉及任何不法行為。
馬來西亞首相納吉和總檢察長阿班迪在六月尾才針對美國的沒收行動作出了憤怒的回應，並表示他們有政治動機。
而劉特佐也在六月份發表聲明，稱美國政府的充公行動是向具有嚴重缺的陷案件採取訴訟。儘管沒有證明發生任何不正當行為，但仍不正當地充公其資產。」
他說：「我們期待法庭得到實際事實，證明司法部的案件完全沒有根據。」
這個充公案件在美國加州中央區（洛杉磯）的美國地方法院審理，法庭案件署名及編號為：「華爾街狼」，16-cv-05362。
大馬時報 翻譯