1MDB trial hinges on competing portrayals of ex-Goldman banker

1MDB trial hinges on competing portrayals of ex-Goldman banker

The fate of a former Goldman Sachs banker embroiled in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB embezzlement scandal hangs in the balance as one of the most high-profile Wall Street criminal prosecutions to reach trial in recent years comes to a close.

During the nearly two-month trial, jurors in the Brooklyn federal courthouse heard that Roger Ng, 49, was a skilled, driven banker who helped Goldman win business in Malaysia by building relationships in the country.

It was “to Roger’s credit” that Goldman was the top investment bank in Malaysia for many years, collecting clients including the state of Sarawak and a local lender formerly known as Eon Capital thanks to his connections, according to testimony from his former boss Tim Leissner.

As for his role in the 1MDB scandal, the prosecution and defence have offered jurors starkly different versions of Ng, a Malaysian citizen who has pleaded not guilty and come to the US to face the charges against him.

The government has said Ng was a key link to 1MDB and Jho Low, the Malaysian financier accused of masterminding the fraud, which prosecutors say resulted in the misappropriation of $4.5bn from the state investment fund. Low remains at large and maintains his innocence.

During closing remarks