KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 — Deutsche Bank AG is no longer under probe for its alleged role in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal by the United States’ Department of Justice (DOJ).
This clears one potential legal hurdle as Malaysia steps up its demands for compensation, Bloomberg has reported.
The DOJ sent a letter to notify the German bank that the investigation had been closed, anonymous sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg, without specifying the date of the correspondence.
The report also said that Deutsche Bank representatives and a DOJ spokesman declined to comment on the matter when contacted.
Yesterday, Deutsche Bank was named as a defendant in a lawsuit brought by 1MDB seeking US$1.1 billion (RM4.5 billion) in payments from the German lender.
However, Deutsche Bank said it hasn’t been served any papers by 1MDB and that it isn’t aware of any basis for a legitimate claim.
The report also said that the DOJ opened a probe in 2019 assessing whether Deutsche Bank’s role in helping 1MDB raise US$1.2 billion five years ago might have violated foreign-corruption or anti money-laundering laws.
At the time the investigation was opened, Deutsche Bank pointed to asset-forfeiture documents previously filed by the Justice Department indicating 1MDB misled Deutsche Bank during transactions.
