KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 — Malaysian authorities have confirmed that a Claude Monet painting linked to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal has been sold for €25.22 million (about RM118 million).
According to the New Straits Times (NST), Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Special Operations Division senior director Datuk Mohamad Zamri Zainul Abidin said the artwork and its proceeds have been identified and will be returned to the government.
“It is a Monet work, and the proceeds from the sale are being held by a prominent French law firm, Archipel,” he told NST.
NST also reported that sources indicated the piece is believed to be part of Monet’s Water Lilies series, titled Nymphéas avec Reflets de Hautes Herbes.
The painting was seized by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2016 as part of its global asset recovery initiative.
The sale was conducted under DOJ instructions during court proceedings in Switzerland, with the artwork acquired by a private entity. While the piece itself will not return to Malaysia, the funds are expected to be repatriated.
The Monet transaction is part of a wider recovery exercise involving at least 12 high-value artworks tied to 1MDB. Four paintings are currently being shipped back to Malaysia, while another, believed to be a Pablo Picasso, remains in Switzerland. Six more works, previously owned by former 1MDB-linked lawyer Jasmine Loo, are still held by Christie’s and require a US court order for release.
Among the pieces expected to arrive in Malaysia within two weeks are works by Picasso, Balthus, Maurice Utrillo and Joan Miró. Authorities said the combined value of the collection exceeds RM142 million.
