A former Goldman Sachs banker charged last year in the looting of billions of dollars from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund was expected to plead not guilty in federal court in Brooklyn, his lawyer said on Monday.
The banker, Roger Ng, was flown from Malaysia over the weekend after being held on criminal charges in that country for several months. Justice Department lawyers and their Malaysian counterparts reached an agreement to bring Mr. Ng to the United States after he said he would not contest an extradition proceeding.
“We are pleased to announce that Roger Ng has been brought from Malaysia to New York,” said Marc Agnifilo, a lawyer for Mr. Ng. “He has voluntarily submitted to the jurisdiction of our courts and we expect him to enter a plea of not guilty later today.”
Mr. Ng, 46, is one of two former Goldman bankers charged by federal prosecutors with helping Malaysia’s former prime minister and others close to him loot at least $2.7 billion from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad fund, known as 1MDB.
Last August, Tim Leissner, Mr. Ng’s former Goldman boss, pleaded guilty to money laundering and foreign bribery charges arising from the case. He is free on bail while he waits to be sentenced.
The charges against the former Goldman bankers relate to an alleged scheme by the country’s former leaders to plunder 1MDB, which used Goldman’s investment banking services to issue $6 billion in bonds meant to finance infrastructure projects in the country. Instead, the former prime minister, Najib Razak, his family and the young financier Jho Low spent a large portion of the money on jewels, jets and artwork, according to prosecutors.
The authorities contend that Mr. Leissner and Mr. Ng paid hundred of millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks to help win the bond underwriting work, which generated $600 million in fees for Goldman. The deals earned big bonuses for Mr. Leissner and Mr. Ng and enhanced their reputations at Goldman.
The scandal led to the ouster and subsequent filing of charges in Malaysia against Mr. Razak. It has also emerged as a serious criminal investigation for Goldman, which has said it could face a substantial fine in the United States. Malaysian officials also want Goldman to pay up to $7.5 billion in damages.
Michael DuVally, a Goldman spokesman, said in a statement, “We continue to cooperate with all relevant authorities as the process continues to move forward.”
Mr. Low, who was indicted in the United States with Mr. Ng, remains at large.
