ZURICH (Reuters)

A second executive convicted in Switzerland for his involvement in a $1.8 billion fraud against the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB will appeal the judgement, according to his lawyers.

Patrick Mahony, a Swiss-British national, was sentenced to six years by the Federal Criminal Court on Wednesday. The court found him guilty of fraud, criminal mismanagement, and money laundering.

The verdict is the latest episode in the 1MDB affair, a complex tale of international corruption that has implicated many financial institutions and individuals worldwide since allegations first emerged in 2015.

Mahony was convicted alongside Swiss-Saudi Tarek Obaid, who received a seven-year prison sentence. Obaid’s legal team has also announced plans to appeal.

Mahony’s lawyers characterized the judgement as “shocking” and confirmed intentions to contest the court’s decision.
“The judgment accuses our client of acts committed by various Malaysian individuals without ever considering what our client could have or might have known,” stated Laurent Baeriswyl, Mahony’s lawyer.
“We clearly demonstrated during the trial that none of the crime conditions were met, and we are confident that the appellate court will consider the overwhelming evidence that exonerates our client.