Van Gogh and Monet paintings seized in probe

GENEVA: Switzerland has seized a painting by Vincent Van Gogh and two others by Claude Monet as part of the global investigation into the 1MDB. The works were seized following a request from the United States, one of several countries probing the 1MDB funds, said Swiss justice ministry spokeswoman Ingrid Reyser.

She declined to comment on where the paintings had been kept or the individuals involved.

Earlier this week, the US Justice Department filed lawsuits seeking to reclaim more than US$1bil in assets linked to the 1MDB funds.

The assets targeted for US seizure include royalties from the 2013 financial crime caper The Wolf of Wall Street starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

The film, directed by Martin Scorsese, was produced by a company owned by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s stepson Riza Aziz, using more than US$100mil diverted from 1MDB, according to the US Justice Department.

Both Najib and 1MDB have consistently dismissed allegations of wrongdoing as political attacks by his opponents.—