In a presentation for 1MDB and Aabar, Goldman set forth what it understood its client’s key objectives to be in the deal making. They included “maintenance of confidentiality during execution” and “speed.” In other words, this was to be a fast and secret deal—although no one at 1MDB ever bothered to explain why these conditions were necessary. Indeed, Goldman’s prospectus for the bond even stressed to would-be investors that the 1MDB-Aabar joint venture company didn’t even yet have a well-defined business plan.
