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Malaysia PM says not opposed to fugitive financier's bid for pardon / Photo: © AFP/File
Malaysia PM says not opposed to fugitive financier's bid for pardon
Malaysia will not oppose a bid by a fugitive businessman involved in the massive 1MDB corruption scandal to seek a pardon from US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Friday.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Seremban district, south of Kuala Lumpur, Anwar described the plea by Low Taek Jho as a "non-issue".
The businessman, better known as Jho Low, is formally seeking a "pardon after completion of sentence", according to the US Department of Justice website.
Whistleblowers allege that Jho Low, a well-connected Malaysian financier with no official role, helped set up the 1MDB state investment fund and made key financial decisions before disappearing about a decade ago.
Low, who has been indicted in the United States, has denied wrongdoing but remains at large.
"As far as we are concerned, we are not going in that route," Anwar said when asked if the goverment will formally oppose Jho Low's plea.
"Even if he has submitted, it is not an issue that we should discuss because he is still undergoing this process in courts."
Malaysia's Trade Minister Johari Abdul Ghani, who chairs a task force seeking to recover assets linked to 1MDB worldwide, said Wednesday the plea should be rejected and Low returned for trial.
The 1MDB fund was launched by former prime minister Najib Razak in 2009, shortly after he became premier.
It is alleged that more than $4.5 billion was diverted from 1MDB between 2009 and 2015 by fund officials and associates, including Low.
Najib, who has been convicted in multiple cases, has been jailed and fined $2.8 billion for his role in the plunder.
Najib's defence lawyers blamed Low and dubbed him the mastermind of the scheme.
Malaysia unsuccessfully sought the return of Low through extradition, and it was widely speculated in media that he was hiding in China.
The scandal shook Malaysian politics, contributing to the 2018 downfall of the ruling coalition that had governed since independence in 1957, and led to the convictions of two former Goldman Sachs bankers.
Investigators said top officials used their ill-gotten gains to splurge on assets worldwide, including a luxury yacht, high-end real estate, Monet as well as Van Gogh paintings, and even to fund the Hollywood blockbuster "The Wolf of Wall Street".
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio testified in court about Low's wild spending sprees and lavish parties.
M.Powell--SFF
