KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has called in former CEO of Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd Datuk Rohana Rozhan for questioning over her alleged connection to the 1MDB global financial scandal.
MACC chief Tan Sri Azam Baki confirmed the corruption investigation on Rohana, Berita Harian reported today, following the bombshell court testimony by former banker Tim Leissner for the ongoing US corruption trial of his ex-colleague at Goldman Sachs, Malaysian Roger Ng.
“She was called for an investigation under Section Section 4 (1) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001,” the Malay daily quoted an unnamed source saying.
The same source disclosed that Rohana was questioned yesterday for more than eight hours, and that she was let go about 6pm, adding that she may be recalled for further questioning should it prove necessary.
Rohana, in a statement sent by her lawyers to various media organisations, said she was cooperating fully with MACC's investigations.
Rohana was named in Leissner’s testimony as a recipient of misappropriated funds he had received from the Malaysian sovereign investment fund back in 2013.
International news wire Bloomberg reported Leissner telling US prosecutor Drew Rolle in the US court last Tuesday that he bought Rohana a US$10 million house in London because she had threatened to expose his links to 1MDB.
Leissner was at that time Goldman Sachs’ South-east Asian chief and reported to have played a key role in the US investment bank’s bond deals with 1MDB.
Leissner claimed that Rohana was one of his lovers at that time, even as Goldman had business dealings with Astro.
Rohana resigned from Astro in 2019.
Ng was head of Goldman’s Malaysian head of investment banking and is charged with conspiring with Leissner to launder money in violation of US anti-bribery laws.
To date, Ng is the only former Goldman banker to claim trial in the scandal.
Leissner pled guilty in August 2018 to conspiring to violating US anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws by bribing officials in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates to get bond deals for Goldman.
