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Jho Low Seeks Trump Pardon After $1 B Asset Recovery

5/13/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Jho Low, fugitive Malaysian financier, has asked U.S. President Donald Trump for a presidential pardon.
The United States recovered about $1 billion from Low’s assets after his 2019 settlement.
Low surrendered a private jet and luxury homes in Beverly Hills and London as part of that deal.
Johari Abdul Ghani, chair of Malaysia’s 1MDB recovery taskforce, said the pardon should be denied and urged U.S. authorities to locate Low.

History

Historical Context

Enron’s 2001 collapse—filed for Chapter 11 on Dec 2 after its $63.4 billion asset base vanished and shareholders lost about $11 billion—prompted U.S. prosecutors to convict CEO Jeffrey Skilling and Chairman Kenneth Lay. The scandal drove Congress to pass the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act, a regulatory framework now used in international money-laundering recoveries such as the 1MDB case.

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Story summary

Jho Low, fugitive Malaysian financier, has asked U.S. President Donald Trump for a presidential pardon.
The United States recovered about $1 billion from Low’s assets after his 2019 settlement.
Low surrendered a private jet and luxury homes in Beverly Hills and London as part of that deal.
Johari Abdul Ghani, chair of Malaysia’s 1MDB recovery taskforce, said the pardon should be denied and urged U.S. authorities to locate Low.

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