Former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner was sentenced to two years in prison by a judge in a New York court on Thursday after playing a key role in a multi-billion dollar scandal involving Malaysia's sovereign fund 1MDB.

Prosecutors sought leniency for Tim Leissner based on his cooperation, which the bank pushed back on, saying the former executive’s efforts are “deserving of sanction, not praise.”

Tim Leissner had pleaded guilty and cooperated with federal prosecutors investigating the looting of billions of dollars from the Malaysian sovereign-wealth fund.