The haul includes four of 12 high-value paintings by world-renowned artists tied to the misappropriation of 1MDB funds, collectively valued at more than US$30 million (RM120 million).

According to Utusan Malaysia, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) special operations division senior director Mohamad Zamri Zainul Abidin said US$9.26 million had been traced to several accounts and other holdings.

A further €25.23 million is believed to stem from the sale of prominent artworks.

“Among the identified assets are art holdings worth US$1.75 million, involving nine paintings by internationally renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Joan Miró.

“In addition, US$459,743.87 is held in a Vine Partners account, while US$7.06 million is kept under an account belonging to River Dee International SA,” he told the national daily.

The largest portion — €25.23 million — is believed to have come from the sale of Claude Monet’s Vétheuil au Soleil, now held by a law firm in Switzerland.

All identified assets are in the process of being recovered by the Malaysian government as part of ongoing efforts to trace and reclaim funds linked to the 1MDB scandal.

Asked whether four of the 12 paintings linked to Loo had arrived in Malaysia, Zamri said: “Not yet.”

Separately, Mingguan Malaysia reported that the timing of the artworks’ return could not be disclosed for security reasons.

MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the precaution was necessary given the value of the works and their role as evidence in an ongoing investigation.

He added that the paintings have yet to be brought into the country, pending documentation and logistical arrangements.

The government, through the MACC, has borne the cost of insuring and transporting the artworks.

Efforts to recover 1MDB-linked assets were bolstered on December 13, 2025, when the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) agreed to return a collection of paintings worth more than US$30 million to Malaysia.

The agreement followed two rounds of talks between the MACC, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the USDOJ in Washington and New York on December 9 and 11, focusing on the repatriation of high-value artworks purchased by Loo and now under US custody. - malaymail