Bulk of 1MDB asset recovery fund used to repay debts, says Auditor-General

KUALA LUMPUR: The balance of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd’s Asset Recovery Trust Account stood at RM1.927bil at the end of 2022, which is 87.4% lower than 2021, as a bulk of the funds were used to repay 1MDB debts that matured last year.

According to the Auditor-General's Report on the federal government's financial statement as at the end of 2022, there was a reduction of RM13.353bil in the fund, from RM15.281bil in 2021.

“Funds amounting to RM15.535bil were used to service the principal and interest payments for bonds which matured in 2022, that were guaranteed by the government,” the report said.

The government has also paid off RM985.01mil in SRC International Sdn Bhd borrowings, hence completing all government guaranteed debts related to the 1MDB subsidiary.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has previously said that Putrajaya is seeking to recover more funds from Goldman Sachs in relation to the scandal.

Goldman Sachs agreed to pay US$2.5bil (RM11.62bil) in cash and return US$1.4bil (RM6.5bil) in assets in a settlement during former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's administration.

According to past reports, Goldman Sachs had helped 1MDB raise US$6.5bil (RM30.22bil) in two bond offerings that netted the bank US$600mil (RM2.7bil) in fees.