PETALING JAYA: The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) said that it is looking forward to partnering with Malaysian authorities to scrutinise 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) transactions.

In a statement issued to The Star in response to questions including on whether the recent change of government in Malaysia would improve cooperation between DoJ and authorities here, the department said the US will continue to pursue its 1MDB investigation on behalf of the victims.

“The United States Department of Justice looks forward to working with Malaysian law enforcement authorities in investigating transactions related to 1MDB,” a DoJ spokesperson said.

The US filed forfeiture complaints in 2016 and 2017 seeking to recover over US$1.7bil in assets traceable to funds allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB, as part of the DoJ’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.

This followed complaints which alleged that more than US$4.5bil was diverted from 1MDB and laundered through a web of shell companies and bank accounts located in the US and elsewhere.

The spokesperson said the DoJ is committed to ensuring that the US and its financial system are not threatened by corrupt individuals and kleptocrats who seek to hide their ill-gotten wealth.

“Whenever possible, recovered assets will be used to benefit the people harmed by these acts of corruption and abuse of office,” the spokesperson added.