Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali says he is contemplating sending representatives to the forfeiture hearing in the US to seize assets allegedly linked to 1MDB.

This follows the legal action filed by its Department of Justice, two weeks ago. He said 1MDB is a Malaysian company, with Malaysian interests.

"I am pondering sending representatives there or going there myself just because we want to register our interest. If you want to give the money to us, we want to hear."

However, he said he would have to consult with the lawyers there first on the possibility of holding a watching brief under the American judicial and legal system.

Apandi was met after Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria gave appointment letters to former deputy solicitor-general I Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah and lawyer Azmi Abdullah, as judicial commissioners of the High Court.

The AG said watching brief is the legal term for interested parties to attend a hearing as practised in Malaysia and other Commonwealth countries.

However, Apandi added that he was not sure how the US legal system operates and neither do the lawyers in Malaysia.

“We want to go there and listen to what transpires in court. With the permission from the court, we may ask a few questions.”

“That is the meaning of watching brief, and I am still toying with the idea after consulting with American lawyers (to assist and advice on court procedures in the US),” he said.

"I will go there, or we appoint a US law firm with our officials being present there."

As the 1MDB matter involves a Malaysian company, Apandi said the government has an interest with the US authorities indicating their intention of repatriating the money back to Malaysia.

It was reported on July 21, that the DOJ had filed a civil forfeiture action to assets believed to be worth US$1 billion said to be from 1MDB.

This follows what it describes as the largest action in the US history to seize 17 assets that includes properties, a jet liner and artwork.

When the news came out, Apandi responded on the same day stating that there is no evidence money had been misappropriated from 1MDB.

"The attorney-general emphasised that to date, there has been no evidence from any investigation conducted by any law enforcement agencies in various jurisdictions which shows that money has been misappropriated from 1MDB," Apandi had said.

The top prosecutor also said there had been "no criminal charges preferred against any individuals for the offence of misappropriation of funds from 1MDB".