The Wall Street Journal “decodes” the 1MDB scandal with illustrated timeline

The Wall Street Journal, perhaps emboldened by Prime Minister Najib Razak’s hesitation to proceed with suing the financial newspaper for libel, has published a comprehensive, infographic-laden breakdown of the entire 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, and all of its serpentine links to the Federal Government and beyond. 

Beginning with 1MDB’s original incarnation as the Terengganu Investment Authority in 2009, to 1MDB’s questionable joint venture with PetroSaudi International, its purchase of Genting’s power generation assets, Goldman Sachs’ involvement, all the way to Malaysians’ growing unease with the entire affair culminating in the #BERSIH4 rally on August 29 and 30, the WSJ details the sordid evolution of Malaysia’s biggest financial and political controversy in decades. 

The article also provides succint short videos explaining in layman terms the alleged bahind-the-scenes machinations that led 1MDB to its current morass, and helpfully lists down the major players in the ongoing scandal, from Najib himself to billionaire Jho Low, to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, and even to Najib’s wife Rosmah Mansor. 

If you’ve ever been confused as to what all the noise over 1MDB has been about, this is about as good a jumping on point as any – at least, to get the perspective of the entire sordid saga from The Wall Street Journal‘s eyes. 

Here’s the link to the article.



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