Another questionable use of loans – the Goldman bonds

BY P. GUNASEGARAM | Kinibiz
DECEMBER 17, 2015 8:00AM


In just one year, 2013, 1MDB had a huge US$6.5 billion (some RM27 billion at current exchange rates) of borrowings from bonds arranged by Goldman Sachs, nearly 65% of total borrowings. The problem is that it is not possible to ascertain how the funds were used.

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In 2013, 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) finalised US$3.5 billion through two bonds of US$1.75 billion each, both jointly guaranteed by 1MDB and International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC). They carried effective interest rates of close to 6% (see Part 3 of this issue on the bond mispricing).

And then there was the US$3 billion bond, also priced at around 6% effectively, which had a letter of support from the Malaysian government.
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