KUALA LUMPUR: Goldman Sachs, which still owes Malaysia some fines and penalties in relation to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd case, has a moral obligation to hand over these monies at the soonest.
Lawyer Nizam Bashir said since Goldman Sachs had already paid a portion of these penalties to Malaysia, than the onus was now on the company and the US government to pay Malaysia the rest of money.
"If penalties have been paid by Goldman Sachs to the US government, then from a moral standpoint, for a start, those monies must be channeled to the Malaysian government.
"What is being contemplated (Malaysia asking for the rest of penalties) is not truly extraordinary because there were sums that had been previously repatriated to Malaysia," he told the NST.
Malaysia has recovered over RM29 billion worth of 1MDB assets between 2019 and February 2024.
These assets were recovered from among others, former 1MDB officers, ex-government officials, as well as individuals linked to fugitive financier Low Taek Jho or Jho Low.
Nizam was commenting on the call by the taskforce's chairman, Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani earlier today.
Johari, who is also Plantation and Commodities Minister, said Malaysia was entitled to receive some compensation paid by Goldman Sachs to US authorities.
He said while the Malaysian government appreciated the US' efforts in the recovery of 1MDB funds, it was well below the US$4.5 billion that was siphoned off from Malaysians.
When asked if the US was being too slow or whether there could be any stumbling block on the US's part to repatriate 1MDB-related penalties to Malaysia, Nizam said:
"There are some complexities with cases like this and how the US deals with it may reflect the compexities involved. Either way, Malaysia does not need to be too concerned about it."
Another lawyer Muhammad Shahrin Satheer said the Malaysian government has every right to get every penny owed to it when it comes to the compensation given in the 1MDB case.
He said the monies in this case rightfully belong to the Malaysian people.
"1MDB money belongs to the people. If we are able to recover (a portion of) the money, we can use it to help thousands of people in Malaysia," he told the New Straits Times.
He said it was important for the Malaysian government to should push for Washington D.C to pay Malaysia's share of the fines imposed on Goldman Sachs.
