Tim Leissner had a side job working for the family office of David Bonderman, the billionaire co-founder of TPG Inc, while he was still a partner at Goldman Sachs, the former star banker told a jury on Wednesday.

Leissner, the key witness in the money laundering trial of his former colleague, Roger Ng, said that in 2015 he made more than US$41,000 a month in a role at Wildcat Capital Management, which manages Bonderman’s personal fortune.
Leissner said he did not disclose the conflict to Goldman where, at the time, he was chairman of Southeast Asia. Leissner, who did not provide details on his role, left Goldman in 2016.
Leissner, who pleaded guilty to his role in a scam that saw billions looted from 1MDB, is cooperating with the US authorities. He was questioned for several days by Ng’s attorney who tried to undermine the banker’s credibility by showing the jury evidence of him being “a rare cunning liar”.
“Mr Leissner was never a Wildcat employee,” Wildcat said in a statement. “He did serve as a consultant beginning in the summer of 2015 but was immediately terminated when the circumstances around his departure from Goldman Sachs became known.”
Earlier in the trial, Leissner said he helped secure a job at TPG Asia for the daughter of former prime minister Najib Razak after compliance prevented him from doing so at Goldman. Najib was sentenced to 12 years in prison in connection with SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB. The US says that some US$2.7 billion of the US$6.5 billion Goldman helped raise for 1MDB was stolen by people connected to Najib.
Leissner has admitted to pocketing more than US$60 million in kickbacks for facilitating the 1MDB bond deals, and to getting paid US$12 million by Goldman the first year he did so. Still, he testified that dissatisfaction with pay motivated his and Ng’s wheeling and dealing, and that the two tried to supplement their income with deals that were not approved by the bank.
The Wall Street Journal reported in 2016 that Leissner briefly held an advisory role at Wildcat after he left Goldman that same year.
Earlier reports:
Mar 9, Leissner faked ex-wife’s email to spin web of lies
Mar 8, Court allows Leissner to be questioned about emails to estranged wife Kimora
Mar 5, Leissner helped Jamaluddin Jarjis’ daughter land Goldman job
Mar 4, Defence lawyer: Leissner was key Goldman 1MDB banker, not Ng
Mar 3, 1MDB prosecutor: Defence harassing Leissner
Mar 3, Tengku Zafrul’s name mentioned in Leissner’s testimony
Mar 2, Leissner, Ng consulted feng shui master on 1MDB probe
Mar 2, Leissner testifies that he ‘lied a lot’, misled women
Mar 2, Leissner: Jho Low said he discussed 1MDB probe with Trump allies
Mar 1, Leissner: Jho Low said money from third 1MDB bond meant to fund election
Feb 25, Leissner: Najib and Sheikh on Jho Low’s ‘bribe list’
Feb 25, Leissner: 1MDB loot wasn’t enough, so I stole from Jho Low
Feb 25, Leissner and Ng used wives to disguise kickbacks from Jho Low
Feb 24, Jho Low tried to book Bill Clinton for Rosmah’s soirée
Feb 24, Jho Low ‘chased’ Leissner over donation to Rosmah’s charity
Feb 23, Leissner claims affair with ex-Astro CEO, blackmailed into buying her US$10m London home
Feb 23, Leissner mentions ‘bribery’ involving ex-BNM governor’s husband
Feb 23, Ex-Goldman chief discussed getting jobs for Najib’s children
Feb 17, Tim Leissner: Senior Goldman staff knew about Jho Low in 1MDB
Feb 17, Ex-Goldman banker Tim Leissner: Greed and ambition motivated 1MDB bribery
Feb 15, Tim Leissner allegedly a ‘double bigamist’