KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 — Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng today made an impassioned plea in his Budget 2019 speech for an unnamed "robber” to return funds stolen from the public and for the person’s supporters to resign from public office.

He also commended Malaysians for voting in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government that he said was successfully pursuing the culprits behind the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal.

"To the robber who stole people’s money, please return it to the nation and be prepared to face justice.

"To those who are still supporting this robber, apologise and resign from public office,” Lim said while not explicitly naming anyone.

He then referred to the guilty plea by former Goldman Sachs senior executive Tim Leissner in the US and the arrest of the bank’s Roger Ng yesterday as the fruits of Malaysians’ decision to back the PH coalition.

The US Justice Department indicted both men along with fugitive financier Low Taek Jho over the 1MDB corruption scandal yesterday.

In Malaysia, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been charged with 38 counts of money laundering, abuse and criminal breach of trust related to 1MDB and a former subsidiary.

Earlier today, Malay Mail reported that Ng will be extradited to the United States to face his charges there.

Low remains at large.

Leissner agreed to pay US$43.7 million (RM181.9 million) in restitution of ill-gotten gains as part of his plea.