KUALA LUMPUR – Police have yet to decide on the charges against former Goldman Sachs bank officer Roger Ng, who has returned to Malaysia.
Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said it is dependent on further police investigations, but that no decision has been made at this time.
“Currently, police have not yet decided on the charges against Ng, whether to continue the old case investigation or to open a new investigation.
“Previously, the investigation against Ng was halted after he was brought to the United States for prosecution related to the 1 Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case,” he said at a press conference in Putrajaya today.
Commenting further, Saifuddin said the government’s decision to bring Ng back to the country is aimed at helping to recover assets from Goldman Sachs and 1MDB.
“The (enforcement) agencies in Malaysia believe that there is a need for Ng to be brought back to continue the investigation, so they will continue their work.
“Until then, we will always be in touch with the United States Justice Department (DoJ), just as the DoJ is always in touch with us throughout the process of Ng being brought to court (in the US) and so on.
“It depends on how quickly our authorities carry it out.
“But our main objective is how it can help with the effort to reclaim assets belonging to the people because of his (Ng’s) involvement in Goldman,” he said.
Saifuddin said that Ng’s return to Malaysia was the result of a collaboration between the DoJ and the Attorney General’s Office, which was decided under the leadership of the former attorney general, Tan Sri Tommy Thomas.
He said the Attorney General’s Department at that time gave the DoJ until next February to resolve the case against Ng.
“However, the case was resolved earlier, and Ng returned to Malaysia for further investigation,” he said.
When asked how long Ng would be in the country, Saifuddin said that his side could not determine the period in question because it is dependent on the police investigation.
“There is no specific period. It depends on how fast our enforcement agencies can complete the investigation,” he said.
Earlier, the media reported that Ng, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in New York for his role in the embezzlement of billions of dollars from 1MDB, would be handed over to Malaysia on October 9, 2023, to face charges in this country. – October 9, 2023