Law firm seeks 1MDB's consent to disclose documents linked to 1MDB settlement

KUALA LUMPUR: Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership (RDS) has written to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) seeking the company's consent to provide the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) with some of the documents sought in relation to the settlement agreement concerning Goldman Sachs and AmBank, the High Court was told today.

The law firm's partner, Palpanaban Devarajoo said this in an affidavit-in-reply which was filed yesterday in response to the corruption commission's application before the High Court to compel the firm to produce documents regarding the said settlements.

"The firm has written to our former client, 1MDB, on Oct 16 seeking its consent and authority to disclose privileged and confidential material insofar as the same is relevant to the present application," said the lawyer, adding that the firm was served with copies of the MACC legal action at about 2.50 pm last Oct 13.

"The firm shall be filing its substantive response to the application in due course after the counsel (retained by the law firm for the present matter) has the opportunity to advise us. Thus, the firm reserves our rights," he said.

He read out this part of the affidavit during the case management before High Court Judge K. Muniandy, who then set Nov 9 for mention.

Yesterday, the MACC requested to obtain documents from two lawyers suspected of accepting bribes and receiving proceeds from unlawful activities in the settlement between the Malaysian government with Ambank and Goldman Sachs regarding the 1MDB issue.

The request was made in two applications filed at the High Court last Oct 11.

Chetan is the lawyer for Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in a civil case, while Rosli represented the former prime minister in a case related to the Jana Wibawa project.

The MACC requested the respondents to submit 10 documents, including their letters of appointment as lawyers for Goldman Sachs (Chetan) and 1MDB (Rosli), their bank account statements and the bank account statements of their companies.

MACC contended that the documents are needed to identify the role and actions of the two lawyers, who are suspected of conspiring with Goldman Sachs and the parties concerned in implementing a scheme that reduces the amount of the asset recovery in the settlement on the amount to be paid to the Malaysian government.

-- BERNAMA