FORMER Astro Malaysia chief executive officer Rohana Rozhan has yet to agree to hand over the US$10 million (RM 41.8 million) she allegedly acquired through a former Goldman Sachs bank officer, who used 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds, a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) source said.

The source said negotiations are underway with Rohana’s lawyer to obtain the money allegedly obtained through former Goldman Sachs bank officer Tim Leissner.

“However, to date, Rohana has not agreed. The investigation is ongoing and we are actively working to obtain the money she got from Leissner who used 1MDB funds,” he said.

The source was clarifying a report by Utusan Malaysia, which claimed that Rohana had agreed to return the US$10 million given by Leissner.

The source said the process will not take long unless the money has to be transferred from the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said the commission is continuing its investigation into Rohana’s case in relation to 1MDB-linked assets. 

He urged the public not to speculate on the case.

Leissner, in his testimony in the New York court, admitted giving US$10 million to Rohana, who then bought a house worth US$7 million in Montpelier Street, London.

The testimony of the prosecution witness in the trial of former Goldman Sachs bank officer Roger Ng prompted MACC to acquire evidence from Rohana in February.

Following that, Rohana had expressed her readiness to assist the authorities and MACC in the investigation of the case.

MACC said the case is being investigated under section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.

The property and Rohana’s name were mentioned by Leissner, who claimed they had a relationship from 2003-2013 and ended when he married celebrity Kimora Lee.

Leissner pleaded guilty in 2018 to involvement in violations of US anti-corruption laws and money laundering conspiracies.

Ng, 49, was charged with conspiring with Leissner and wanted businessman Low Taek Jho to launder money embezzled from 1MDB and violate US anti-bribery laws. He is the only former Goldman banker to go on trial in the scandal.

Last week, a jury in US Federal Court returned a guilty verdict for Ng, determining that he did indeed help loot hundreds of millions of dollars from 1MDB, Reuters reported. – April 13, 2022.