Overview
- Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Friday that Malaysia will not contest fugitive financier Jho Low’s application for a US presidential pardon and called the issue a non-issue.
- US Justice Department records show Low is formally seeking a “pardon after completion of sentence,” a move that would be decided by US President Donald Trump and could erase his US charges if granted.
- Trade Minister Johari Abdul Ghani, who leads Malaysia’s 1MDB asset-recovery task force, urged the US to reject the plea, and government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil said Low should receive no consideration for pardon.
- Malaysia’s police chief said investigations are ongoing into claims that Low held covert meetings in Kuala Lumpur last year, with authorities coordinating to pursue the matter under the law.
- Low remains at large after US indictments linked to the 1MDB scandal, in which investigators say over $4.5 billion was siphoned from the fund, while ex-prime minister Najib Razak is jailed and heavily fined over related convictions.