Agrees to be extradited to US.
Roger Ng, a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc banker accused of playing a role in defrauding 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), will return to the United States to face criminal charges against him, his lawyer said on Thursday.
Ng, who was in the dock at the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur, consented after judge MM Edwin Paramjothy read the terms of the extradition.
His Malaysian lawyer Tan Hock Chuan told the court that his client preferred to be extradited within 30 days.
However, DPP Faizal Aswad Masri said under the law, the home affairs minister has three months to deport him.
The court recorded that Ng consented to the waiver to challenge the extradition.
Yesterday, another of Ng’s lawyers, Marc Agnifilo, was reported saying Ng intended to plead not guilty when he appears in a US federal court.
Ng, who left Goldman Sachs in the spring of 2014, has been detained in Kuala Lumpur since Nov 1, shortly after the US Department of Justice announced charges against him for allegedly laundering funds siphoned off from 1MDB.
“As we have said all along, we are outraged that any employee of the firm would undertake the actions detailed in the government’s charges,” a Goldman Sachs spokesman said when asked about Ng.
Goldman Sachs itself is being investigated by Malaysian authorities and the US Department of Justice for its role as underwriter and arranger of three bond sales that raised US$6.5 billion (RM27 billion) for 1MBD.
Related reports:
Jan 22, Ex-Goldman Banker Roger Ng Appeals Bail Rejection, Seeks US Lawyer
Jan 7, Roger Ng Loses Bail Bid