KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian police are unaware of the four special edition Bugatti Veyron supercars that were seized by German police from a warehouse in Munich this week, which is linked to an investigation into the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) financial scandal.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain told Scoop that the authorities have yet to get any information on the said investigation in Germany.
“The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) might investigate this.”
According to German publication Bild, the rare cars are part of the “Les Legendes de Bugatti” run, with only 18 machines built. However, the ownership of the cars is unclear.
The seized supercars are known as the Rembrandt, Black Bess, Jean-Pierre Wimille, and Meo Constantini edition Veyrons, which were found inside the parking structure of an automotive event space called Motorworld Munich.
The seizure was carried out by the Criminal Investigation Department 7, which specialises in white-collar crimes such as fraud and money laundering.
Each of the new cars retails for US$3 million (RM14.3 million), but their current values are hard to determine as they are usually not sold at public auctions.
The publication, quoting sources, has linked it to a probe into the multi-billion 1MDB financial scandal.
The fiasco has been described as “one of the world’s greatest financial scandals” and declared by the US Justice Department as the “largest kleptocracy case to date”.
Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was sentenced to 12 years in jail in 2022 for offences related to 1MDB and undergoing trials for a litany of other charges.
In January, the Pardons Board halved his jail term.
Currently, he is seeking a judicial review alleging the existence of an addendum order issued by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong dated January 29, which allegedly allowed Najib to serve his remaining jail term under house arrest.
About US$4.5 billion was allegedly stolen from 1MDB, leaving the government to assume a total debt of US$7.8 billion, including 30-year bonds that are due in 2039. – April 27, 2024