美国在马来西亚调查数十亿美元失窃资金

AS IT IS 2016-07-24 US Investigates Missing Money in Malaysia 美国在马来西亚调查数十亿美元失窃资金

U.S. attorney general Loretta Lynch says billions of dollars were stolen from an investment fund run by the government of Malaysia.

The thieves may be high-ranking officials in the Malaysian government and their family members.

The money generated by the fund was supposed to be used for economic development projects and to help raise the quality of life in Malaysia. But instead, it was used to buy artwork by famous artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso. More money was used to purchase expensive homes and a jet, and to finance Hollywood movies.

The fund is called 1MDB. It opened in 2009.

Early on, billions of dollars moved out of the fund and into the account of a co-founder of oil company PetroSaudi International. The money was supposed to fund a project between Malaysia and the oil company. But the money went back into the account of a Malaysian government official known as “Malaysian Official One.”

Lynch would not identify the person known as “Malaysian Official One.” But observers believe it may be Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Over the next five years, more than $3.5 billion were transferred from the fund into private bank accounts in Switzerland.

The U.S. Department of Justice is working to recover at least $1 billion in assets that were purchased with money stolen from the fund.

Those assets include the artwork and some of the profits from the 2013 movie “The Wolf of Wall Street.” The case, filed in California, is in fact called “U.S. v. Wolf of Wall Street.”

Najib’s stepson and another Malaysian investor¹ started the production company that financed the film. The money likely came from the 1MDB fund.

Lynch said, “Corrupt² officials treated this public trust as a personal bank account.”

The Department of Justice is involved through its Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative. Lynch says the U.S. is involved because money passed through American banks. U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs also raised money for the fund.

The complaint says banks in Singapore, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the U.S. were used in the fraud. Other governments are investigating the 1MDB fund, including Switzerland and Singapore.

Members of the Malaysian government’s opposition³ will probably ask for Najib to resign. But some of those same party members say Najib’s position as prime minister is probably safe.

Charles Santiago is a member of the opposition Democratic Action Party. He says some organizations in Malaysia will ask for an investigation⁴ based on the U.S. allegations. But, he said, “This will not go far.”

Words in This Story

trust – n. an arrangement in which someone's property or money is legally held or managed by someone else or by an organization (such as a bank) for usually a set period of time

kleptocracy – n. a corrupt government that steals from the people it is supposed to represent

asset – n. something that is owned by a person, company, etc. — usually plural⁵

initiative – n. a plan or program that is intended to solve a problem

complaint – n. a formal charge saying that someone has done something wrong

fraud – n. the crime of using dishonest methods to take something valuable from another person

allegation – n. a statement saying that someone has done something wrong or illegal

1 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

2 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。