The defense team for a former Goldman Sachs banker facing charges in the looting of a Malaysian sovereign-wealth fund sought to undermine the testimony of the prosecution’s star witness during trial proceedings 2 March, arguing that the witness made inconsistent statements to federal investigators.

Lawyers for the defendant, Roger Ng, attacked the credibility of the government witness Timothy Leissner, a one-time Goldman colleague of Ng who has already pleaded guilty to similar charges and has been cooperating with the Justice Department.