KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 26): The trial of former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng in the US for his role in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal is on hold until at least April 2022, the High Court here was told on Tuesday.

Ng is facing four charges in Malaysia and is currently extradited to the US while awaiting his trial for conspiring to launder money and bribe government officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi through bond offerings that Goldman Sachs handled.

Deputy public prosecutor Norinna Bahadun told Judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin in case management that Ng's case in the US is still ongoing.

Jamil then set April 1 next year for another case management to update the court on his return to face charges here.

Ng was represented by counsel Datuk Tan Hock Chuan.

The 47-year-old Malaysian national claimed trial to four charges of abetting Goldman Sachs in the sale of notes and bonds belonging to 1MDB's subsidiaries by omitting material information and publishing untrue statements.

He is charged under Section 370(c) of the Capital Markets and Services Act 2007, which carries a punishment of up to 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of at least RM1 million upon conviction.

Among material facts allegedly omitted in these bond issuances was the fact that purported master conspirator Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, was the principal controller and intermediary of 1MDB.

Ng is alleged to be one of the bankers from Goldman Sachs, apart from his former boss Tim Leissner, who helped former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and others embezzle at least US$2.7 billion from 1MDB.

In May 2019, he pleaded not guilty at the Federal Court in Brooklyn, New York. The US Department of Justice accused Ng of conspiring to launder money and bribe government officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi through bond offerings that Goldman Sachs handled.

He was extradited to New York from Kuala Lumpur where he was in custody. Ng initially fought against the extradition at a Malaysian court, but later changed his mind and volunteered to go. However, Malaysian investigators objected as Ng was already being charged here for similar 1MDB offences.

In the end, an agreement was finally worked out between the two authorities.

On Sept 4 last year, the Malaysian government dropped its charges against Goldman Sachs after the latter agreed to a settlement of almost US$4 billion, but the charges against Ng stood.