Anwar won’t pardon Jho Low as 1MDB fugitive seeks clemency in US
Any clemency for Low would likely draw a backlash in Malaysia where authorities have spent years pursuing him
Add BT as a preferred source
PRIME Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia won’t consider any pardon request involving Jho Low, the alleged mastermind behind the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal who is seeking clemency from US President Donald Trump, Bernama reported.
Anwar said the matter was a “non-issue” for the government as court proceedings involving the fugitive financier — who was charged in absentia by Malaysia in 2018 — were still ongoing, according to the state news agency.
Low, who was also charged by US authorities in 2018 but has evaded arrest, submitted a pardon application to the US Department of Justice this year, according to a notice on the DOJ’s website. He’s accused of being the architect of a scheme that siphoned at least US$4.5 billion from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
Malaysia won’t formally oppose any US move, Anwar said. The prime minister also said he was unaware of any pardon application submitted by Low, whose real name is Low Taek Jho, Bernama reported.
Federal prosecutors allege Low, with the help of two then-Goldman Sachs Group bankers, paid about US$2 billion in bribes to foreign officials, including former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. Another US$1 billion in kickbacks went to the scheme’s participants, with Low pocketing at least US$1.42 billion, US officials alleged.
Najib was convicted of multiple crimes related to 1MDB and remains in a Malaysian prison.
SEE ALSO
Navigate Asia in
a new global order
Get the insights delivered to your inbox.
Former star Goldman banker Tim Leissner was sentenced to prison in the US for his role in the scandal, and the bank has sought to claw back compensation paid to him. His former colleague Roger Ng was convicted in New York in 2022, sentenced to 10 years in prison, and returned to Malaysia in 2023 to assist local authorities with their 1MDB investigation.
Any clemency for Low would likely draw a backlash in Malaysia, where authorities have spent years pursuing him and recovering billions allegedly stolen from 1MDB. The scandal toppled Najib’s government and ended his party’s six-decade rule.
Malaysian authorities have tried, unsuccessfully, to locate and bring Low back. Tom Wright, a journalist who co-authored the book Billion Dollar Whale about the 1MDB scandal, alleged last year that Low could be in an upscale Shanghai neighborhood, living under an alias and traveling on a forged Australian passport. BLOOMBERG
Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free.
Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services
