MACC freezes US$10m in assets linked to former Astro CEO Rohana Rozhan

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has frozen approximately US$10 million in assets and money reportedly linked to Rohana Rozhan (pictured), former CEO of Astro, and Tim Leissner, former Goldman Sachs banker embroiled in the 1MDB scandal.

According to multiple media reports including The Star and The Edge Markets, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said it is still in the midst of investigations and efforts to recover the money and assets involved are also underway. MACC also met with Rohana to record her statement and meted out a freeze order on her assets and money, Azam added.

Rohana was linked to the 1MDB scandal when Leissner previously testified that he gave her a US$10 million home in London during their extramarital affair. According to The Edge Markets, the money came from his 1MDB work. This resulted in Rohana being called up for questioning. Meanwhile, Bloomberg said Rohana had blackmailed Leissner into purchasing the US$10 million home for her after she found out about 1MDB. The relationship lasted from 2003 to 2013.

Rohana officially stepped down from her CEO title at Astro in 2019. During her tenure as CEO, Astro’s customer base grew from 2.0 million to 5.5 million, whilst revenue grew RM1.79 billion to RM5.53 billion for the financial year ended 31 January 2018. She joined the group in 1995. She was succeeded by Henry Tan who was formerly chief content and consumer officer.

MACC fined a total of 80 individuals and entities in 2019 for misappropriating from the state fund, nearly four years after the scandal first came to light. Goldman Sachs reportedly received US$600 million for arranging a US$6.5 billion bond fundraising for 1MDB, but most of the money was stolen. Malaysian businessman Jho Low, who is still at large, was reported to have masterminded the corruption scheme and used the proceeds to sustain his extravagant lifestyle.

Leissner and his former colleague Roger Ng were charged and the company eventually pleaded guilty, paying US$3.9 billion to the Malaysian government as part of a global regulatory settlement. David Solomon, chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, also received a US$10 million pay cut as a result of the company's involvement in the scandal.

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