Latest news with #financiallosses
Zawya
02-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Standard Chartered Bank faces $2.7bln lawsuit over alleged role in 1MDB fraud
KUALA LUMPUR: Liquidators trying to recover money from Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund 1MDB have sued Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore, alleging it enabled fraud that led to more than $2.7 billion in financial losses more than 10 years ago. Standard Chartered on Tuesday said that it emphatically rejected the claims. The move is the latest in a wide-ranging effort to recover money belonging to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), from which U.S. investigators say about $4.5 billion was stolen between 2009 and 2014 in a complex, globe-spanning scheme. Shares in Standard Chartered fell on Tuesday and were down 2.7% by 1110 GMT, against a 0.3% drop in London's FTSE 100 . Malaysian authorities have previously said there were billions of dollars more that were unaccounted for. Liquidators from financial services firm Kroll, which filed the lawsuit in the High Court of Singapore, said in a statement on Monday they were seeking to hold Standard Chartered accountable for its role in allegedly enabling fraud to be committed against 1MDB. Three companies in liquidation linked to 1MDB say Standard Chartered permitted over 100 intrabank transfers between 2009 and 2013 that helped conceal the flow of stolen funds. They also allege the bank chose to overlook obvious red flags in relation to the transfer of funds, resulting in the losses, the liquidators said. "According to this lawsuit, the transfers demonstrate serious breaches and control failings which ultimately enabled the theft of public funds by people operating at the highest levels of the Malaysian government during that period," the liquidators said. Standard Chartered said it had not yet received the legal filing documents. "Any claims by these companies are without merit and Standard Chartered will vigorously defend any lawsuit commenced by the liquidators," Standard Chartered said in a statement to Reuters. It added the liquidators had earlier publicly stated the firms involved were shell companies with no legitimate business and were linked to alleged 1MDB mastermind and fugitive Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low. Low has consistently denied wrongdoing. The liquidators said the funds that flowed through the Standard Chartered accounts included transfers to the personal bank account of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is serving a six-year prison sentence after being convicted of graft linked to 1MDB. The fund transfers also involved business payments and purchases of jewellery and luxury goods for Najib's wife and stepson, the liquidators said. Najib and his family members have consistently denied wrongdoing. The Board of 1MDB welcomed the move by the court-appointed liquidators. "The Malaysian people were the true victims of this global fraud, and all parties are determined to hold every facilitator to account - including financial institutions that failed in their most basic duties of vigilance and responsibility," a spokesperson for the board said. At least six countries, including Singapore and Switzerland, have launched investigations into 1MDB dealings in a global probe that has implicated banking and high-ranking officials worldwide, including Najib and executives from U.S. bank Goldman Sachs. Malaysia said last year it had recovered a total of 29 billion ringgit ($6.92 billion) in 1MDB assets between 2019 and February 2024. In 2016, Singapore's central bank imposed penalties of S$5.2 million on the local unit of Standard Chartered for money laundering breaches related to the 1MDB scandal. The Monetary Authority of Singapore said its investigations into Standard Chartered revealed "significant lapses in the bank's customer due diligence measures and controls for ongoing monitoring" but did not find "wilful misconduct". News of the lawsuit on Tuesday weakened Standard Chartered's share price. "While it's tough to gauge the lawsuit's outcome, the potential hit - about 7% of market cap – is likely enough to weigh on shares in the short term," said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. Standard Chartered is facing a separate $1.9 billion lawsuit in London over allegations the lender broke U.S. sanctions against Iran in a more widespread way than it has previously admitted. ($1 = 4.1910 ringgit) (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Additional reporting by Yantoultra Ngui in Singapore and Danial Azhar in Kuala Lumpur and Tommy Reggiori Wilkes in London; Editing by David Stanway, Sonali Paul and David Evans)
New York Times
01-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package
Millions of low-income Americans could experience staggering financial losses under the domestic policy package that Republicans advanced through the Senate on Tuesday, which reserves its greatest benefits for the rich while threatening to strip health insurance, food stamps and other aid from the poor. For many of these families, the loss of critical federal support is likely to negate any improvements they might have seen as a result of slightly lower taxes, experts said. That reality could undercut Republican lawmakers and President Trump, who insisted anew this week that their legislative vision would benefit the entire economy. The latest evidence arrived in the hours before lawmakers finalized their signature legislation. Studying a since-amended version of the Senate bill, experts at the Budget Lab at Yale, a research center, concluded Monday that it would parcel out its benefits disproportionately. Americans who comprise the bottom fifth of all earners would see their annual after-tax incomes fall on average by 2.3 percent within the next decade, while those at the top would see about a 2.3 percent boost, according to the analysis, which factors in wages earned and government benefits received. On average, that translates to about $560 in losses for someone who reports little to no income by 2034, and more than $118,000 in gains for someone making over $3 million, the report found. Martha Gimbel, the co-founder of the budget lab, described the Senate measure as 'highly regressive.' The disparity owes largely to the fact that Republicans aim to pay for their tax cuts by slashing programs for the poor, including Medicaid and food stamps. The cuts amount to one of the largest retrenchments in the federal safety net in a generation. But the savings they generate only offset a fraction of the total cost of the bill, which is expected to add more than $3 trillion to the federal debt by 2034. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
South China Morning Post
01-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Malaysian liquidators sue Standard Chartered in Singapore, alleging its role in 1MDB fraud
Liquidators for Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund 1MDB have sued Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore, alleging it enabled fraud that led to more than US$2.7 billion in financial losses more than 10 years ago. Advertisement Standard Chartered, the UK-headquartered bank in Singapore, on Tuesday said that it emphatically rejected the claims. The move is the latest in a wide-ranging effort to recover money belonging to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), from which US investigators say about US$4.5 billion was stolen between 2009 and 2014 in a complex, globe-spanning scheme. Malaysian authorities have previously said there were billions of dollars more that were unaccounted for. Liquidators from financial services firm Kroll, which filed the lawsuit in the High Court of Singapore, said in a statement on Monday they were seeking to hold Standard Chartered accountable for its role in allegedly enabling fraud to be committed against 1MDB. Advertisement Three companies in liquidation linked to 1MDB say Standard Chartered permitted over 100 intrabank transfers between 2009 and 2013 that helped conceal the flow of stolen funds.
CNA
01-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Standard Chartered Bank faces US$2.7 billion lawsuit in Singapore over alleged role in 1MDB fraud
KUALA LUMPUR: Liquidators seeking to recoup misappropriated funds from Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) have filed legal proceedings against Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore over the bank's alleged role in enabling fraud that led to over US$2.7 billion in financial losses. The move is the latest in a wide-ranging effort to recover money belonging to 1MDB, from which United States investigators say about US$4.5 billion was stolen in a complex, globe-spanning scheme. Liquidators from financial services firm Kroll, which filed the lawsuit in the High Court of Singapore, said they were seeking to hold Standard Chartered accountable for its role in allegedly enabling fraud to be committed against 1MDB. Three companies in liquidation linked to 1MDB say Standard Chartered permitted over 100 intrabank transfers between 2009 and 2013 that helped conceal the flow of stolen funds. They also allege the bank chose to overlook obvious red flags related to the transfer of funds, resulting in the losses, the liquidators said. "According to this lawsuit, the transfers demonstrate serious breaches and control failings which ultimately enabled the theft of public funds by people operating at the highest levels of the Malaysian government during that period," the liquidators said.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Standard Chartered Bank faces $2.7 billion lawsuit over alleged role in 1MDB fraud
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Liquidators seeking to recoup misappropriated funds from Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund 1MDB have filed legal proceedings against Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore over the bank's alleged role in enabling fraud that led to over $2.7 billion in financial losses. The move is the latest in a wide-ranging effort to recover money belonging to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), from which U.S. investigators say about $4.5 billion was stolen in a complex, globe-spanning scheme. Liquidators from financial services firm Kroll, which filed the lawsuit in the High Court of Singapore, said they were seeking to hold Standard Chartered accountable for its role in allegedly enabling fraud to be committed against 1MDB. Three companies in liquidation linked to 1MDB say Standard Chartered permitted over 100 intrabank transfers between 2009 and 2013 that helped conceal the flow of stolen funds. They also allege the bank chose to overlook obvious red flags in relation to the transfer of funds, resulting in the losses, the liquidators said. "According to this lawsuit, the transfers demonstrate serious breaches and control failings which ultimately enabled the theft of public funds by people operating at the highest levels of the Malaysian government during that period," the liquidators said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
