Husband of ex-Bank Negara chief denies taking any bribe

PETALING JAYA • The husband of Malaysia's former Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz has denied he received any bribes as alleged by a star witness in a case linked to state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad.

Dismissing the testimony of former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner as totally untrue, Datuk Tawfiq Ayman said he neither knew nor communicated with Leissner or Roger Ng, the former Goldman investment banker who has been charged in the New York District Court with conspiring to launder funds.

"I wish to categorically state that throughout my life, I have never received any bribes from anyone," online news site Malaysiakini quoted Mr Tawfiq as saying.

Mr Tawfiq said that in view of the ongoing proceedings in New York, he has been advised not to comment further and he will be seeking legal advice on the next course of action.

Ng, 49, Goldman's former head of investment banking in Malaysia, is charged with conspiring to launder money and violate an anti-bribery law, while Leissner is the star witness in the ongoing case.

Leissner said Ng, a Malaysian, had told him about the bribery involved to obtain the central bank's "unprecedented" approval for the transfer of US$1 billion (S$1.4 billion) to PetroSaudi International. However, he could not independently verify if it was true.

Mr Tawfiq's wife, Tan Sri Zeti, was the central bank governor at the time.

Leissner recalled the alleged bribery when prosecutors asked about his dealings on the PetroSaudi-1MDB joint venture project. "In 2009, there were still capital controls in place and a billion dollars was wired overnight to the joint-venture because the husband of the then governor had received a bribe," he said. "So overnight that money was transferred, which was unprecedented at that time as no approval was obtained that quickly from Bank Negara."

It was reported on Jan 24 that Mr Tawfiq and former minister in the prime minister's department Nor Mohamed Yakcop were being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission over 1MDB funds.

In response to Leissner's testimony, Bank Negara yesterday said all investments abroad by resident entities are subject to the requirements under the Exchange Control Act 1953 which was in force until 2013 and replaced by the Financial Services Act 2013.

Malaysian lawmaker Lim Lip Eng asked yesterday if the relevant authorities would investigate the allegations raised in Leissner's testimony in court.

"Why have there not been any arrests despite the authorities being aware of Leissner's testimony? How much longer do the people have to wait?" said Mr Lim, MP for Kepong and a member of the oppposition Democratic Action Party, in a statement issued yesterday.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK