There was a Malaysian connection to the flurry of pardons outgoing US President Donald Trump issued on Wednesday, with a top Republican donor convicted of illicitly lobbying for Jho Low, the fugitive mastermind behind the 1MDB scandal, among those receiving clemency.The final list released in the early hours of Trump’s last day in office offered clemency grants to a total of 143 people – many of whom were ignominious close associates, such as the former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon…

This post was originally published on South China Morning Post.