PUTRAJAYA: The four art pieces linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), worth almost RM800,000, that have been recovered, will be sent to the National Art Gallery by next week, says Tan Sri Azam Baki.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner said the gallery's director-general will decide when the public can view the artworks.
"It is pertinent for the artworks to be handed over to the gallery as soon as possible.
"Personally, the paintings are for the government to keep. People can come to view the paintings and remember the lessons of the 1MDB scandal," he told a press conference on Wednesday (May 6).
He added that it is up to the Finance Ministry whether to eventually put the paintings up for auction or keep them at the gallery.
Previously, it was reported that four art pieces had been returned following an asset recovery exercise by the MACC.
The MACC said the artworks had been successfully repatriated as part of 1MDB asset recovery efforts and were currently "securely housed" at its headquarters in Putrajaya.
"These artworks are part of the assets recovered in connection with the misappropriation of funds from 1MDB, achieved through the government’s ongoing and coordinated efforts led by MACC, involving close collaboration between domestic enforcement agencies and international strategic partners," it said.
It estimated the artworks' combined value at RM786,556.25.
The four artworks repatriated are as follows: Joan Miró's Composition (1953), Maurice Utrillo's Maison de rendez-vous de chasse de Henri IV, Rue St. Vincent, Montmartre (1934), Balthus's Étude pour femme couchée (1948) and Pablo Picasso's L’Ecuyère et les clowns (1961).
