Who is the Vella in the 1MDB scandal?

Who’s the Vella in the 1MDB scandal? Perhaps you thought you knew the fella?

Bloomberg, in a report on the 1MDB scandal, says there is a George—as in a George Clooney look-alike— in a joke among Goldman Sachs’s top management.

“What would George do?” is the joke. It has to do with one Andrea Vella who was until last year Goldman Sachs’s top dealmaker in Hong Kong.

However, if you think Clooney’s nose is pretty, wait and hear what Vella’s nose is good for.

Well, he got a nose for splashy trades but it is his vague resemblance to Clooney that earned him the nickname ‘George’.

So says Bloomberg, the business news portal, in case you do not know what is Bloomberg.

Nevermind the joke. Vella became prominent in the US after prosecutors dragged him into the biggest Wall street scandal, Malaysia’s very own 1MDB scandal.

MYSTERY MAN

After all, the Vella, a very powerful person is the mystery man to watch as the DOJ’s handling of Goldman Sachs enfolds. 

The DOJ did not charge Vella but filed court documents tying him to the 1MDB-Goldman conspiracy. Bloomberg says with this filing, the bank (Goldman) promptly put him on leave.

Vella being a powerful person at the bank does not help Goldman’s 1MDB case let alone it’s pinning all the blame on Tim Leissner.

Well, who really is the Vella and how is he linked to 1MDB?

DOJ says he dealt with 1MDB alleged mastermind Jho Low and knew of the plans to bribe officials in Malaysia.

He also helped structure 1MDB’s fundraising and was there, after the money went missing.

But Malaysia has not charged Vella. The country of origin of the 1MDB scandal has charged 17 Goldman execs with 1MDB related crimes.

Furthermore, perhaps the Malaysian prosecutors are not sure of the central role DOJ says the Vella played?

We Need More Chef Wan Please!

READ MORE ABOUT CHEF WAN AND HIS BOUT WITH NAJIB RAZAK