The SEC authorities are, to say the least, intrigued, in particular, by a sum of 50 million agreed by Goldman with the Libyan sovereign wealth fund, to help him offset the losses. According to reports, the Libyan Investment Authority was then supposed to turn over the money to an "external consultant": Palladyne International Asset Management BV, then led by the brother-in-law of the head of the Libyan oil company (a state body, of course).
The sum, moreover, would never have been paid, because the negotiations between Goldman and the fund were interrupted due to the riots that broke out in Libya this winter. But this does not exempt US investigators from investigating the suspicious payment, which has left clear traces in the company's documents.
