Singapore: Ex-Swiss bank manager charged in 1MDB probe

By Kirsten Han

SINGAPORE (AA) - The former manager of a Swiss bank's Singapore branch has been charged with 16 offences in connection with a probe into Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), local press reported Thursday.

Among other charges, Jens Fred Sturzenegger, the former Singapore branch manager for Falcon Private Bank, is accused of being involved in the bank's failure to report suspicious transactions of $1.265 billion to the authorities.

The Swiss national is also accused of helping Falcon bank's head of compliance in providing an officer from the Commercial Affairs Department false information to obscure the fact that the bank had dealt with Low Taek Jho, a Malaysian financier who has been heavily implicated in the 1MDB scandal.

He is expected to plead guilty to the charges on Jan. 11, local newspaper The Straits Times reported.

Three other individuals were convicted of offences in relation to their roles in the 1MDB scandal last year.

1MDB, a brainchild of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, is the subject of a global money-laundering probe.

The scandal has triggered probes and investigations in multiple locations around the world, including the United States and Switzerland.

Singapore's investigations, which began in March 2015, has resulted in the seizure of bank accounts.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore ordered Falcon Private Bank to cease operations in Singapore in October last year.

Sturzenegger was arrested in the same month.