There has been a new development in the multiple, ongoing legal actions against a Malaysian man who stands accused of collecting and funnelling donations to an American presidential candidate’s campaign in violation of federal statute.
The court overseeing one of Jho Low’s cases has now allowed authorities to seize millions of dollars from bank accounts owned by his father, Larry, funds which may be linked to illegal campaign contributions made in support of Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election bid.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court authorized the seizures when no third parties stepped forward to contest the asset forfeitures, which stem from charges pending in Malaysia against Jho and Larry Low for involvement in the alleged misappropriation of billions of dollars from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the country’s state investment fund.
The younger Low is suspected of using some of those ill-gotten gains in a wide-ranging effort to exert influence over the American political system.
Straw donors
The legal difficulties facing Jho Low are significant, in that he, along with ex-Fugees rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, are currently facing charges in the United States for unlawfully directing money to a presidential campaign in the 2012 election.
The scheme they are accused of orchestrating saw Low transferring $21.6 million to Michel, who in turn too $865,000 and distributed it to “straw” donors who would make contributions to a political fundraising committee so as not to exceed individual contribution limits.
“Michel recruited his friends, associates, and others to act as straw donors to make contributions,” read the indictment which was unsealed in May.
Though the indictment does not specifically mention which candidate benefitted from the donations, Michel was a well-known and staunch supporter of Barack Obama, and contextual details contained in court documents reveal it to have been Obama. Michel is also believed to have sent another $1 million of Low’s money to an independent election committee.
Low is currently at large, and he is believed to be hiding somewhere in China.
Serious charges
Once Obama left the White House, Low continued to try to play a role in American politics by attempting to buy influence with the Trump administration.
However, it was Low and Michel’s activities in connection with the 2012 election that ultimately led to their indictments in this country. Each was charged with a single count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and also with making foreign campaign contributions.
In addition, Michel was hit with one count of scheming to conceal material facts as well as two charges of making false record entries in conjunction with the underlying conspiracy.
Obama involvement
Again, there is no implication in the court proceedings to date that Obama had any idea about what was allegedly taking place on his behalf. As previously stated, the indictment does not even mention him by name, but simply refers to “Candidate A.”
As such, at this point there is no basis to assert that the former president did anything illegal, or even unethical for that matter. However, it does appear that Obama can be tied to Low and Michel on at least some level.
According to the federal indictment, Michel and Low’s father attended an Obama re-election fundraiser in Washington, D.C., and both men sat on either side of the president, a highly coveted spot, for sure. That alone, of course, is not enough to establish that Obama knew at the time about the illegal scheme in which Low and Michel were allegedly involved.
Either way, though, it seems fair to infer that Obama’s time as president — which is always painted in a much more favorable light than Trump’s — was not nearly as pristine as he and the mainstream media would like us to believe.
No comments: