KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is working to recover eight additional artworks connected to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, with their total estimated value exceeding RM120 million by the end of the year.
Chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki revealed that authorities have identified 12 artworks for repatriation, four of which have already been successfully recovered.
Among the pieces still under recovery are works by Henri Matisse (USD52,500), Alexander Calder (USD125,000), Pablo Picasso (USD1.265 million), William H. Bailey (USD66,250) and Raoul Dufy (USD40,000), while the value of pieces by Salvador Dalí and Gustave Loiseau is still being verified.
“Overall, the value of artworks still under recovery is estimated at about USD1.7 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 EUR25.2 million, or roughly RM114 million,” he said at a press conference here today.
Azam explained that the funds are currently subject to seizure proceedings in the United States, with recovery ongoing through legal channels and cooperation with authorities in both the US and Switzerland.
The effort forms part of Malaysia’s broader success in reclaiming 1MDB-linked assets, he added. Last month, MACC successfully secured the return of four international artworks purchased using 1MDB funds.
“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 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ).
“They were not physically seized but returned through lawful processes, including the execution of a 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.
The four recovered artworks, valued at an estimated USD198,125 (RM786,556), are set to be handed over to the National Art Gallery Malaysia. They include Composition (1953) by Joan Miró (USD93,750), Maison de rendez-vous, rue Saint-Rustique, Montmartre (1934) by Maurice Utrillo (USD50,000), Étude pour femme couchée (1948) by Balthus (USD28,125), and L’Ecuyère et les clowns (1961) by Pablo Picasso (USD26,250).
“They were transported under strict security arrangements from New York on April 8, arriving at 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,” Azam said.
When asked whether the artworks would be sold, he stated that the matter would be decided by the Finance Ministry. – May 6, 2026