00:00The light two-year prison sentence given to former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leisner for his role in the 1MDB scandal risks sending the wrong message to global financial institutions, says 1MDB Asset Recovery Task Force Chairman Johari Ghani.
00:18He said institutions such as Goldman Sachs are entrusted with safeguarding the interests of sovereign nations.
00:25He said Leisner's sentencing was an opportunity to send a clear and strong global message that white-collar crime will be met with serious consequences.
00:34Unfortunately, that opportunity has been missed.
00:37Leisner, a former Southeast Asia chairman for Goldman Sachs, pleaded guilty in 2018 to a conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of the United States and participating in a money laundering conspiracy all tied to his role in the 1MDB scandal.
00:53Johari described Leisner's slight sentence despite the offense carrying a potential maximum of 25 years as too lenient given the scale and gravity of the crime.
