Can former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak continue to pretend that there is no such thing as the 1MDB scandal after the 1MDB criminal charges by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) against fugitive financier Jho Low, with former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner pleading guilty to 1MDB corruption and money-laundering charges?

Jho Low was charged in the federal court at the Eastern District of New York for conspiring to launder billions of dollars embezzled from 1MDB.

Low and former Goldman Sachs banker Ng Chong Hwa, also known as Roger Ng, were also charged with conspiring to violate Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) to paying bribes to Malaysian and Abu Dhabi officials.

Another former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner had pleaded guilty to two charges of conspiring to launder money and conspiring to violate the FCPA by paying bribes to various Malaysian and Abu Dhabi officials, and forfeited US$43.7 million as a result of the crimes.

My first thought at the news in the United States was what would have happened if UMNO/Barisan Nasional had won the 14th General Election and Najib had not been toppled as Prime Minister on May 9, 2018. Read the rest of this entry »