Arul Kanda: DoJ yet to contact 1MDB

1MDB chief says the company itself is not under investigation, and is open and willing to cooperate.

Arul Kanda says 1MDB’s rationalisation plan is boosting confidence among international investors. (Reuters pic)

PETALING JAYA: Despite much-publicised investigations in various countries about alleged embezzlement of funds from 1MDB, the company’s chief executive said there had been no contact from any overseas authority either with him or the company.

Arul Kanda Kandasamy said there had especially been no contact whatsoever with the US Justice Department following civil suits filed in a US court on the issue.

Speaking at an interview with CNBC yesterday, Arul said:

“The company has not been contacted by the DoJ. While we remain open and we’ve expressed our willingness to cooperate, at this point in time, none of those international authorities have contacted 1MDB.”

CNBC said the DoJ did not respond to requests for confirmation that no contact had been made with 1MDB.

Arul also reiterated that 1MDB itself had not been under investigation.

The Justice Department has begun civil suits in the US to recover assets said to have been acquired with funds diverted from 1MDB.
It said that more than US$4.5 billion (RM19 billion) belonging to 1MDB had been diverted from 2009 through 2015 by high-level officials of the fund and their associates.

Authorities in Switzerland and Singapore have convicted several people and shut down banks over money laundering transactions involving funds allegedly belonging to 1MDB.

Arul said: the DoJ investigation was very specific in relation to the seizure of particular assets and in relation to certain named individuals, so 1MDB is not a part of those investigations, we are not a subject of the inquiry.” - FMT