NEW YORK, Feb 7 — Former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner has begun serving a two‑year federal prison sentence in the United States for his role in the multibillion‑dollar 1MDB corruption scandal, one of the largest financial frauds in history.

The Edge reported that his lawyer confirmed that Leissner, 56, surrendered yesterday at a federal correctional facility in Allenwood, Pennsylvania. His imprisonment comes eight years after he pleaded guilty to helping Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, siphon off billions from Malaysia’s 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.

The scheme saw at least US$4.5 billion (RM17.8 billion) embezzled from bond deals arranged by Goldman Sachs, with Leissner testifying that roughly US$2 billion went to bribes for foreign officials and another US$1 billion to kickbacks for participants. He admitted personally receiving more than US$150 million from the operation.

Goldman Sachs has since paid over US$5 billion to settle related misconduct claims.

Leissner became a key witness in the 2022 US trial of his former colleague Roger Ng, who was convicted and sentenced to 10 years’ jail. Ng was later transferred to Malaysia to face charges there. Jho Low, charged by the US in 2018, remains a fugitive.

Leissner had sought multiple delays to his prison reporting date, but a federal judge rejected his latest request on Thursday. The Malaysian government announced in December that it is seeking his extradition.

According to a notice on the US Justice Department website, Leissner has also applied for a presidential pardon, with his lawyer arguing that his cooperation was instrumental in exposing wrongdoing at Goldman and elsewhere.