Malaysia Unveils Four Recovered 1MDB Paintings Valued at $198,125 at Anti-Corruption Headquarters

Four paintings—a Picasso, a Miro, a Balthus, and an Utrillo—were displayed on easels at Malaysia’s anti-corruption headquarters on Wednesday, marking the first public showing of artworks recovered from the 1MDB scandal since their repatriation from New York last month.

The unveiling took place at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) headquarters in Putrajaya, where the works were presented under controlled conditions. South China Morning Post reported that the paintings were traced through Sotheby’s auction house and flown back to Malaysia on April 14.

The paintings arrived in wooden crates and were unpacked under controlled lighting and temperature conditions supervised by the National Art Gallery. Their combined estimated value is US$198,125. U.S.

Authorities. U.S. 5 billion was looted from Malaysia’s 1MDB sovereign wealth fund between 2009 and 2014. The looted proceeds were funneled into luxury real estate, superyachts, Hollywood film deals, and art collections.

These four paintings represent a fraction of the assets acquired through the misappropriated funds. His statement underscores the agency's efforts to recover all assets linked to the scandal. The public unveiling highlights ongoing recovery operations since the paintings' return.

The article detailing the event was published at 1:53pm on 6 May 2026. It was written by Iman Muttaqin Yusof. South China Morning Post reported these developments as part of its coverage of the 1MDB recoveries.