KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 — Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said that he was not aware about a police raid earlier today at local law firm Rahmat Lim & Partners for documents linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
“I am not aware that police had went there, I have not been informed by my officers yet.
“But if the investigators were indeed there then there is nothing wrong with that, as it's just part of police investigations following the law,” he told reporters this evening before a joining a crime prevention patrol in Times Square shopping centre here in conjunction with upcoming the Chinese New Year celebrations.
Mohamad Fuzi also added that police investigations into 1MDB which revolved around commercial crime and money laundering will be completed in March.
Business daily The Edge reported this morning that police were looking for documents involving three 1MDB bonds worth US$6.5 billion (RM26.9 billion) which Goldman Sachs had handled when they were issued in 2012 and 2013, noting that Rahmat Lim were then acting for Goldman Sachs.
A source told The Edge that police were there after obtaining a court order to do a search because the law firm had refused to hand over documents requested by the police.
The same source reportedly said local law firm Wong & Partners — which had acted for 1MDB in those transactions — had handed over requested documents to the police.
Last December 17, the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) said Goldman subsidiaries, two of the US investment bank’s former employees, as well as two former 1MDB employees have been charged in relation to three 1MDB bonds.
The AGC said the charges were based on providing allegedly false or misleading statements in the misappropriation of US$2.7 billion from the proceeds of the three bonds issued by 1MDB subsidiaries and arranged and underwritten by Goldman.
The three bonds were issued in May 2012 (US$1.75 billion), October 2012 (US$1.75 billion) and in March 2013 (US$3 billion) by 1MDB Energy Limited, 1MDB Energy (Langat) Limited, and 1MDB Global Investments Limited respectively, with a collective value of US$6.5 billion.
The AGC said Goldman benefited by receiving, underwriting and arranging fees of approximately US$600 million, which were alleged to be higher than market rates and industry norms.
