00:00Fugitive financier Joe Lowe, accused by the United States of masterminding the multibillion-dollar One Malaysia Development Berhad, One MDB
00:09scandal, has applied for a pardon from President Donald Trump.
00:13Lowe, charged in 2018 and still at large, submitted the application to the United States Department of Justice, DOJ, earlier
00:21this year, according to a notice on the department's website.
00:24He is accused of masterminding a scheme that siphoned at least US$4.5 billion from Malaysia's Sovereign Wealth Fund,
00:32One MDB.
00:34US prosecutors allege Lowe orchestrated the theft of at least US$4.5 billion from One MDB, paying about US
00:42$2 billion in bribes to foreign officials, including former Prime Minister Datuk Sri Najib Razak, and distributing another US$1
00:50billion in kickbacks.
00:52Lowe allegedly pocketed at least US$1.42 billion.
00:57The application, filed under the name Tech Joe Lowe, is listed as a pardon after completion of sentence, and remains
01:04pending.
01:05The One MDB scandal brought down Malaysia's government, sparked prosecutions in several countries, and led Goldman Sachs to pay more
01:14than US$5 billion to settle claims related to the misconduct of its former bankers.
01:19One of those bankers, Tim Leisner, pleaded guilty and later testified at the 2022 trial of former colleague Roger Ng,
01:29who was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
01:32Leisner told jurors that Lowe had claimed Trump was personally involved in discussions aimed at ending the US criminal investigation
01:40into One MDB.
01:41He also testified that Lowe said he had discussed the matter with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a
01:47senior White House advisor at the time, and that support existed for a deal under which both Lowe and Leisner
01:53would avoid criminal charges.
01:55Leisner filed his own pardon request last year, and began serving a two-year prison sentence in February.
02:01Lowe's pardon bid was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
02:11Lowe's pardon bid was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
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