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PETALING JAYA: A major Republican donor convicted of lobbying for fugitive Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho was among 143 people pardoned by Donald Trump, in his final act before retiring as president of the United States.
According to the South China Morning Post, Elliott Broidy was included in a list of individuals granted clemency along with other high-profile politicians, such as convicted former House Republicans Rick Renzi and Robert Hayes.
Broidy, 63, pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to violate the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) as part of a covert campaign to lobby on behalf of Low, better known as Jho Low, the central figure behind the 1MDB scandal.
“As part of an agreement with the prosecution, Broidy admitted to accepting US $ 9 million from Low to persuade the Trump administration to abandon the US investigations into the scandal,” the news portal wrote.
According to SCMP, Broidy also helped Low pressure Washington on behalf of Beijing to extradite Chinese dissident billionaire Guo Wengui, who lives in New York.
Broidy agreed to lose $ 6.6 million in his plea deal with the United States government.
SCMP reported that in its subpoena for Broidy’s clemency, the Trump administration referred to the former’s “numerous philanthropic endeavors”, including on behalf of law enforcement, the military, and veterans programs.
Broidy’s pardon was endorsed by 21 high-level individuals, including former US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad and current House Republicans Devin Nunes, Ken Calvert and Jack Bergman, the portal said.
Broidy’s ties to the 1MDB scandal were first highlighted by The Wall Street Journal in 2018. WSJ reported that Broidy and his wife, Robin Rosenzweig, discussed setting up a consulting contract with Low.
SCMP also reported that Broidy allegedly tried to arrange a round of golf between Trump and former Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2017, although it never materialized.
Najib faces 25 charges of abuse of power and money laundering for alleged 1MDB funds worth RM2,280 million deposited into his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.
Furthermore, he has been convicted of seven corruption charges related to 1MDB’s subsidiary, SRC International. Najib, who has denied wrongdoing in the scandal, is appealing this conviction.
In November, Low, the alleged mastermind behind the 1MDB scandals, suggested that he borrowed billions of 1MDB to buy luxury items, including high-end real estate, art pieces, a private jet and a megayacht.
He also blamed Najib for the scandal.
