FORMER Goldman Sachs bank officer Roger Ng Chong Hwa is expected to arrive in Malaysia at midnight on Saturday and assist in the investigation into the 1MDB scandal, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.It was widely reported yesterday (Oct 6) that Ng, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the US for helping embezzle billions of dollars from 1MDB, will be handed over to Malaysia to face charges here.Saifuddin, who was asked by the media when Ng will be brought back to Malaysia, stated that the government’s focus in the 1MDB scandal is to recover the assets linked to the case.“So we leave it (Ng) to the authorities, enforcement agencies to carry out the investigation. It is in my knowledge because most of the agencies or institutions involved apart from the Attorney General are agencies under the Home Affair Ministry.“If there are no obstacles, he will reach our country today at midnight. If there are no obstacles,” he said, while he did not elaborate on where Ng will land in Malaysia. He only noted Ng would arrive at a safe destination.Ng, who was convicted of helping embezzle money from 1MDB, has been ordered to surrender to the US Marshals Service and return to Malaysia to face charges there.Chief US District Judge Margo Brodie in Brooklyn issued the order. Singapore’s central bank has also banned Ng for life due to his “severe misconduct.”Ng, Goldman’s former head of investment banking in Malaysia, was sentenced in March for his role in the 1MDB scandal. The case involved about US$6.5 bil in bonds that Goldman helped 1MDB sell in 2012 and 2013. – Oct 7, 2023
