The trial was unusual almost from the start: The proceedings were delayed for several days because federal prosecutors were slow in turning over potentially critical documents to the defense, which Mr. Ng’s lawyers have said hampered their ability to prepare their case and could be grounds for an appeal.
It also featured testimony from a star witness who admitted being a prolific liar. Mr. Leissner, once a rising star at Goldman in Asia, was on the stand for 10 days, including six days of a blistering cross-examination. He was forced to admit to initially lying to federal agents, to his fellow partners at Goldman and to his girlfriends and wives.
The litany of lies that Mr. Leissner had to fess up to on the stand was long and in some cases unbelievable. He admitted to twice being married to two women at the same time. He said he had delivered a fake divorce decree to his current wife, the model and fashion designer Kimora Lee Simmons, when he was convincing her to marry him. (The couple, who have two children, are estranged.) And he said that while he was dating Ms. Simmons he communicated with her using a fake email account he had created in the name of his second wife, Judy Chan.
Mr. Leissner was also forced to acknowledge lying to investigators about his actions regarding 1MDB, and was grilled about earlier statements that conflicted with what he said on the stand. When pressed, Mr. Leissner admitted he “lied a lot.”
In his closing argument, Mr. Agnifilo told the jury that Mr. Leissner was “one of a kind” when it comes to lying and couldn’t be trusted to tell the truth on anything, including his involvement in the bribery and kickback scheme. But prosecutors said Mr. Leissner was telling the truth about the crimes Mr. Ng was charged with, including a $35 million payment that authorities said was an illegal kickback.
Mr. Ng’s wife, Hwee Bin Lim, testified the $35 million that she and her husband received were the proceeds from a $6 million investment she had made many years prior with Ms. Chan.
Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/08/business/1mdb-goldman-sachs-roger-ng.html
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