From 1MDB to The China Contract

STR: Suspicious Transaction Report · Oct 2, 2026 · 34m

Clare Rewcastle Brown on how Malaysia's 1MDB scandal became a story of debt, infrastructure, China and geopolitical leverage.

The 1MDB scandal exposed how billions of dollars were stolen from Malaysia, moved through offshore structures and the international financial system, and used to fund political power, a movie, luxury assets and influence.

But for investigative journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown, whose reporting helped expose the scandal, the story did not end there. In her forthcoming book, The China Contract, she examines what happened when Malaysia's then prime minister, Najib Razak…