PETALING JAYA: Datuk Dr Tawfiq Ayman has finally broken his silence on claims that money siphoned out of 1MDB had been channelled to him, denying that he took any bribe.

       A day after Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner had alleged that Tawfiq had been bribed before a large sum of money was transferred, the husband of former Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz denied receiving bribes in the transaction linked to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.

       Tawfiq said he did not know Leissner or his subordinate Roger Ng, adding that he had never met or communicated with them.

       “I wish to categorically state that throughout my entire life, I have never received any bribe from anyone,” he said in a statement yesterday.

       The statement was issued via law firm Messrs Jagjit Ariff & Co.

       Tawfiq said in view of the ongoing proceedings in New York, he has been advised not to comment further as it could be sub judice.

       “We will be seeking legal advice on the next course of action to be taken on the statements made against me,” he added.

       In January this year, it was reported that Tawfiq and former minister in the prime minister’s department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop were being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over 1MDB funds.

       Two months earlier, the MACC announced that Singapore had returned RM65mil (US$15.4mil) in 1MDB-linked funds that were obtained from a company controlled by Tawfiq.

       The anti-corruption agency said the money had been linked to the accounts of Cutting Edge Industries Ltd, which it said was co-owned by Tawfiq and one Samuel Goh.

       In response to Leissner’s testimony, Bank Negara on Thursday said that all investments abroad by resident entities are subject to the requirements under the Exchange Control Act (ECA) 1953 which was in force until 2013 and replaced by the Financial Services Act 2013.

       Ng, 49, Goldman’s former head of investment banking in Malaysia, is charged with conspiring to launder money and violating an anti-bribery law, while Leissner is the star witness in the case.

       Leissner claimed that Ng, a Malaysian, had told him about the bribery involved in Bank Negara’s “unprecedented” approval for the transfer of US$1bil (RM4.18bil) in funds to PetroSaudi International.

       However, he could not independently verify if it was true.

       Leissner mentioned this when asked by prosecutors on his dealings with the PetroSaudi-1MDB joint venture project.

       “In 2009 there were still capital controls in place and a billion dollars was wired overnight to the joint venture because the husband of the then governor had received a bribe,” said Leissner.

       “So, overnight that money was transferred, which was unprecedented at that time, as no approval was obtained that quickly from Bank Negara,” he said.