LOW Taek Jho, the fugitive financier at the heart of the 1MDB scandal, was “confident and comfortable” of securing a positive outcome to settle the case against him, having spoken to people close to former US president Donald Trump, according to star witness Tim Leissner, giving testimony in US Federal Court yesterday.

According to Leissner, 52, Low said he met with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Beijing and had hired former republican governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie to represent him, Reuters reports.

Leissner, a former head of Southeast Asia for Goldman Sachs, was giving evidence in the trial of former Malaysia manager and Leissner’s subordinate, Roger Ng.

Prosecutors accuse Ng, 49, of breaking US money laundering and anti-bribery laws, by taking a reported US$35 million (RM147 million) in kickbacks to facilitate the looting of the sovereign wealth fund.

Meanwhile, Christie defended his involvement.

“There were never any discussions between me and any members of the Trump administration that the criminal investigation would be dropped or any charges against Mr Low or anyone else dismissed in exchange for payment to the government,” he said in a statement.

“Nor was there any agreement for a legal success fee to me to negotiate such a result.”

Low remains at large, still wanted by authorities in Malaysia and the US.

Of the US$6.5 billion in bonds raised by Goldman between 2009 and 2014, prosecutors allege nearly two-thirds was illicitly siphoned off. Meanwhile, the bank charged 1MDB US$600 million for the service. – March 2, 2022.