US district judge Margo Brodie rejected Ng’s argument that he owned no more money after forfeiting to Malaysia tens of millions of dollars of alleged proceeds from his crimes.

Ng’s lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, also said his client, Goldman’s former head of investment banking in Malaysia, had been drained of most of his assets.

Brodie, however, said the US$35.1 million forfeiture was not constitutionally excessive.

She also said that even if Ng were less culpable than others, “he played a role in one of the largest financial crimes of all time”, a scheme that caused “intangible harm to the public’s confidence in democracy and government”.

Agnifilo did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Brodie imposed Ng’s prison sentence on March 9, 11 months after jurors found him guilty of helping his former boss Tim Leissner embezzle money from 1MDB, launder the proceeds, and bribe government officials to win business.

Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, a Malaysian financier and suspected mastermind of the scheme, was also indicted but remains at large.

Leissner faces a Sept 6 sentencing. Goldman settled with authorities in October 2020, agreeing to pay US$2.9 billion and having its Malaysian unit plead guilty to a corruption charge.

Former prime minister Najib Razak is serving a 12-year prison sentence after being convicted in a Malaysian court of receiving RM42 million from a former 1MDB unit, SRC International. Najib has consistently denied wrongdoing.