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MALAYSIA is expected to recover eight additional high-value paintings linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, collectively worth more than US$120 million (RM474 million), by the end of the year, according to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the recovery is made possible through ongoing international cooperation, particularly with the United States.
“We made a breakthrough in recovering the assets through Mutual Legal Assistance with the US Department of Justice (US DOJ).
“If all goes well, we will get the paintings by end of this year,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
The artworks involved include pieces by renowned international artists such as Henri Matisse, Alexander Calder, Pablo Picasso, William H. Bailey, Raoul Dufy, Salvador Dalí, and Gustave Loiseau.
The listed works include a Henri Matisse painting valued at US$52,500, an Alexander Calder work valued at US$125,000, a Pablo Picasso piece valued at US$1.2 million, a William H. Bailey painting valued at US$66,250, and a Raoul Dufy artwork valued at US$40,000. The values of the Salvador Dalí and Gustave Loiseau works are still under verification.
Azam said the total value of the paintings still being recovered is estimated at around US$1.7 million (approximately RM6.9 million).
He also confirmed that Malaysia is actively pursuing proceeds from the sale of Claude Monet’s painting Vétheuil au Soleil, which was sold in Switzerland for about 25.2 million euros (approximately RM114 million).
“These funds are currently under seizure proceedings by the US authorities, and recovery efforts are ongoing through legal channels and cooperation with authorities in the US and Switzerland,” he said.
Azam added that the recovery of these artworks forms part of Malaysia’s broader success in reclaiming assets linked to the 1MDB scandal, which has seen billions in misappropriated funds traced across multiple jurisdictions.
Previously, MACC confirmed that four other artworks worth nearly RM800,000 had already been repatriated to Malaysia following international asset recovery efforts.
Those pieces included Joan Miró’s Composition (1953), Maurice Utrillo’s Maison de rendez-vous de chasse de Henri IV, Rue St. Vincent, Montmartre (1934), Balthus’s Étude pour femme couchée (1948), and Pablo Picasso’s L’Ecuyère et les clowns (1961).
The MACC said those works are currently securely housed at its headquarters in Putrajaya as part of ongoing efforts to consolidate recovered 1MDB-linked assets.
“These artworks are part of the assets recovered in connection with the misappropriation of funds from 1MDB, achieved through the government’s ongoing and coordinated efforts led by MACC, involving close collaboration between domestic enforcement agencies and international strategic partners,” it said, estimating their combined value at RM786,556.25. - May 6, 2026
