PUTRAJAYA, May 6 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is working to recover eight more artworks linked to the misappropriation of funds from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), with a total estimated value exceeding RM120 million, by year end.
MACC chief Tan Sri Azam Baki said 12 artworks had been identified for repatriation, with four already successfully recovered.
Among those still in the process are works by Henri Matisse (US$52,500), Alexander Calder (US$125,000), Pablo Picasso (US$1.265 million), William H. Bailey (US$66,250) and Raoul Dufy (US$40,000), while the value of works by Salvador Dalí and Gustave Loiseau is still being verified.
“Overall, the value of artworks still under recovery is estimated at about US$1.7 million (RM6.9 million).
“We are also actively pursuing the recovery of proceeds from the sale of Claude Monet’s Vétheuil au Soleil, which was sold in Switzerland for about €25.2 million, or roughly RM114 million,” he told a press conference here today.
Azam said the funds are subject to seizure proceedings by authorities in the United States, with recovery efforts ongoing through legal channels and cooperation with authorities in both the US and Switzerland.
He said that the recovery of these artworks forms part of Malaysia’s broader success in reclaiming 1MDB-linked assets.
He said the MACC had also secured the return of four international artworks purchased using 1MDB funds last month.
“All artworks were traced through transactions at leading auction houses such as Christie’s and Sotheby’s in New York, and recovered through legal processes and strategic international cooperation involving agencies such as the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Justice Department (USDOJ).
“They were not physically seized but returned through lawful processes, including the execution of power of attorney by the USDOJ to the MACC via the Attorney-General’s Chambers. This demonstrates that asset recovery is conducted through careful legal and diplomatic channels,” he said.
Azam said the four recovered artworks, valued at an estimated US$198,125, will be handed over to the National Art Gallery soon.
They include Composition (1953) by Joan Miró (US$93,750), Maison de rendez-vous, rue Saint-Rustique, Montmartre (1934) by Maurice Utrillo (US$50,000), Étude pour femme couchée (1948) by Balthus (US$28,125), and L’Ecuyère et les clowns (1961) by Pablo Picasso (US$26,250).
Azam said the artworks were transported under strict security arrangements from New York on April 8, and arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on April 10.
“They were then taken to MACC headquarters under tight security involving multiple agencies, including the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, the National Art Gallery, and logistics personnel,” he said.
On whether the artworks would be sold, Azam said it would be decided by the Finance Ministry (MOF).
