PUTRAJAYA, Dec 14 \u2014 Malaysia has secured the return of 12 high-value paintings linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) following a formal agreement with the US Department of Justice (USDOJ).<\/p>\n
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said that the paintings owned by Jasmine Loo, which were held by auction houses Christie\u2019s and Sotheby\u2019s, are valued at over US$30 million (RM123 million).<\/p>\n
In a statement yesterday, MACC said the agreement followed two rounds of official talks with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and USDOJ in Washington DC and New York on December 9 and 11, last year.<\/p>\n
Among the identified artworks are Pablo Picasso\u2019s 1961 painting L\u2019Ecuyere et les clowns, Joan Mir\u00f3\u2019s Composition (1953), William H. Bailey\u2019s Still Life (b.1930); Alexander Calder\u2019s Studies for Sculpture\u00a0(1898-1976); and Henri Matisse\u2019s Femme Assise\u00a0(1869-1954).<\/p>\n
MACC said the discussions also included the case of US rapper Pras Michel, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for receiving US$120 million, a sum partly linked to 1MDB and its shell companies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAdditionally, the USDOJ informed us that there are still assets belonging to Jho Low in Singapore, which were not included in the US Settlement Agreement,\u201d read the statement.<\/p>\n
Discussions also reportedly covered the cases of Tim Leissner, Tarek Obaid and PetroSaudi, alongside Riza Aziz and the law firm White & Case.<\/p>\n
The statement concluded by noting the FBI and USDOJ\u2019s full commitment to strengthening cross-border cooperation and international coordination with MACC, the Attorney General\u2019s Chambers (AGC) and the National Financial Crime Prevention Centre (NFCC), to ensure all outstanding overseas assets are traced, seized and recovered.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, MACC confirmed that assets in Hong Kong, Singapore, and France have been liquidated, with the proceeds to be transferred to the United States.<\/p>\n
The Malaysian delegation to the talks was led by MACC\u2019s Special Operations Division senior director, Datuk Mohamad Zamri Zainul Abidin, accompanied by NFCC director general, Datuk Seri Shamshun Baharin Mohd Jamil, and deputy public prosecutor Norinna Bahadun.<\/p>\n
The discussions with the FBI and USDOJ aimed to enhance global cooperation between the two agencies, specifically to strengthen joint investigations, mutual legal assistance processes, and the recovery of remaining 1MDB-related assets overseas. \u2014 Bernama<\/p>\n
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