Cover image via Taylor Hill/Getty Images/AFP & Kent Nishimura/AFP
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Fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low has reportedly filed a request seeking a presidential pardon from US President Donald Trump in an attempt to wipe away criminal charges linked to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal
According to reports by The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, the request was submitted to the US Justice Department this year under the name "Taek Jho Low", his real name.
A Justice Department website reportedly listed the application as a "Pardon after Completion of Sentence", with the status marked as pending.
If granted, the pardon would remove US criminal liability tied to allegations that Low masterminded the siphoning of billions of dollars from 1Malaysia Development Berhad, better known as 1MDB.
US prosecutors have long accused Low of orchestrating a complex international fraud scheme involving fake documents, shell companies, bribery, and money laundering operations that allegedly diverted at least USD4.5 billion (around RM17.68 billion) from the state investment fund.
Authorities alleged the stolen funds were used to finance luxury real estate purchases, artwork acquisitions, a USD250-million (around RM982.13 million) superyacht, celebrity-fuelled parties, and even the Hollywood film The Wolf of Wall Street.
Low also reportedly paid RM89 million for a photograph with then US President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, in 2012.
Low posing for a photograph with Barack and Michelle.
Image via BloombergLow has consistently denied wrongdoing and has never stood trial in the US, remaining a fugitive since around 2016
The case became one of the world's biggest financial scandals, eventually contributing to the fall of the former Barisan Nasional government in 2018.
Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was later convicted and imprisoned over cases linked to the 1MDB scandal.
The fallout also engulfed Goldman Sachs, which paid more than USD5 billion (around RM19.64 billion) in penalties to authorities in the US and Malaysia over its role in raising funds for 1MDB.
Former Goldman banker Tim Leissner previously pleaded guilty in the US, while another former banker, Roger Ng, was convicted in connection with the scheme.
According to Bloomberg, Leissner testified during Ng's 2022 trial that Low had claimed he was in discussions involving Trump-era figures over resolving the US criminal investigation.
The reports also said Low's latest efforts have included negotiations with both US and Malaysian authorities involving the return of hundreds of millions of dollars allegedly tied to the scandal.
The seized luxury yacht Equanimity, purportedly belonging to Jho Low, is pictured at Port Klang on 7 August 2018.
Image via Zahim Mohd/NurPhoto/AFPIn 2019, Low reportedly surrendered more than USD700 million in assets to US authorities under a civil forfeiture settlement
However, that agreement did not erase his criminal liability.
The Wall Street Journal further reported that Malaysia temporarily lifted its Interpol red notice against Low at one point to facilitate the return of significant assets, although criminal liability in Malaysia remained in place.
Despite years of international investigations and arrest efforts, Low's exact whereabouts remain unknown, though reports have long suggested he may be in China.
Trump has increasingly used presidential pardons in white-collar criminal cases during his second term
Recent recipients reportedly included Binance founder Changpeng Zhao and Nikola founder Trevor Milton.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that American rapper Prakazrel "Pras" Samuel Michel, who was convicted in a separate case involving lobbying efforts linked to Low, had previously been involved in efforts connected to the fugitive financier.
US President Donald Trump speaks to the press.
Image via Kent Nishimura/AFP