KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 — Goldman Sachs is looking to close the chapter on its involvement in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal and is keen to return any related money to Malaysia, its president and chief operating officer said.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV, John Waldron said Goldman Sachs is seeking an amicable solution to the matter when asked about 1MDB.
“We’re looking to put it behind us and get the Malaysian people the money that they deserve.
“We’re focused on getting it behind us and resolving it in an appropriate manner. We want the Malaysian people to be taken care of,” Waldron was quoted as saying in the interview.
He said it was difficult to set a timeframe for when the matter will be resolved.
When asked about the prospects of a settlement with the US Department of Justice, Waldron declined to comment.
He said Goldman Sachs was not facing any restrictions on its business in the US due to 1MDB.
Malaysia had in August filed criminal charges against 17 current and former directors at subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs, following an investigation into the 1MDB multibillion-dollar corruption scandal.
In June, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad revealed that the US investment bank had offered Malaysia RM1 billion to settle the 1MDB case out of court, which he described as “peanuts” and “not adequate”.
It was reported that Goldman Sachs pocketed US$600 million (RM2.51 billion) in fees for arranging the bonds related to 1MDB.
Last year, the Pakatan Harapan government filed criminal charges against three subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs over their handling of bonds totaling US$6.5 billion (RM27.22 billion) issued by 1MDB.
This was said to be the first time a country has filed criminal charges against the US investment banking giant.
