More than US$1.37 billion worth of assets linked to the misappropriation of funds from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) has been returned to Malaysia by the United States so far.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the amount was based on information provided by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
She said several other funds and assets believed to be connected to 1MDB remain under detention, frozen or subject to forfeiture proceedings in the United States and other foreign jurisdictions.
“Besides the assets that have already been returned, there are still funds and assets linked to 1MDB that are currently being held, frozen or undergoing forfeiture proceedings in the United States and several other jurisdictions,” she said in a written parliamentary reply.
Azalina was responding to a question from Lim Lip Eng (PH-Kepong), who sought clarification on the amount of money and assets recovered from the 1MDB scandal by the US, as well as the remaining assets still being held by the US and other countries.
She said the exact value of assets that are still being held, frozen or involved in forfeiture proceedings cannot be determined at this stage.
According to Azalina, this is because the amount depends on the latest developments in ongoing legal proceedings as well as fluctuations in the market value of the assets involved.
The recovery efforts are part of continued international cooperation between Malaysian authorities and foreign agencies to trace and reclaim assets linked to the 1MDB case.
