THE lawyer for the Singaporean man on trial for his role in the 1MDB scandal told the court that it was not his client but another Goldman Sachs who had built “critical” relationships in the scheme to defraud the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, Bloomberg reported today.

Roger Ng’s lawyer, Marc Agnifilo said this was why his cross-examination of Tim Leissner frequently touched on the banker’s private life.

Ng is accused of conspiring with Leissner and Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho to violate US anti-money-laundering laws in a scheme to loot billions from 1MDB.

“Our premise is that all of the relationships he has, they’re all strategic,” Agnifilo said.

“Leissner was instrumental not just in his capacity as an efficient Goldman Sachs employee, but in having personal connections with people.”

Leissner pleaded guilty in 2018 and is the government’s star witness against Ng.

Agnifilo was arguing to introduce as evidence an email between Leissner and former Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd chief executive officer Rohana Rozhan, who was Leissner’s mistress.

“It is relevant in light of Leissner’s testimony that it was Ng who had these ‘critical relationships’ to help these deals move forward,” Agnifilo said.

“Sometimes he uses intimacy,” the lawyer said.

The judge will rule on whether to allow the evidence submitted by the lawyer. – March 4, 2022.