The Malaysian citizen in the middle of the biggest bribery scandal in U.S. military history, Leonard Glenn Francis, better known as Fat Leonard, has escaped house arrest and was recently arrested in Venezuela while on his way to Russia. Now, he is reportedly asking Venezuela for Asylum.

According to the Associated Press, a Venezuelan law enforcement official confirmed that he asked for asylum just a week after he was captured at an airport while trying to board a plane and flee to Russia, where he might not be extradited back to the United States.

Even though the Venezuelan government and the United States government do not see eye-to-eye these days for political reasons, the extradition treaty between these two countries is still standing.

The Navy Times reported that the Venezuelan official spoke on the condition of anonymity as he was not allowed to speak to the press about the matter. He also did not provide any additional details about the current situation regarding the fugitive Malaysian businessman. It is noted that by law, the Venezuelan government must consider Fat Leonard's asylum request.

Fat Leonard's Daring Escape to Venezuela

Officials from both the United States and Venezuela have all confirmed several details of Fat Leonard's escape. Just a few weeks before he was supposed to be sentenced for his crimes, he reportedly cut his ankle monitor, fled his home in San Diego, and crossed the border to nearby Mexico.

From Mexico, he somehow managed to board a flight to Cuba, before being able to escape to Venezuela. His final destination was supposed to be Russia, but he was tracked down by Interpol and arrested before being handed over to Venezuelan authorities.

Given the current tensions between the United States and Russia surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, experts have said that Fat Leonard would have gotten away with it all if he succeeded in entering Russian soil.

However, the next best thing for Fat Leonard is Venezuela, as the United States currently does not recognize Nicolas Maduro as president of Venezuela, and the tension between the two countries remains high. It is still unclear whether or not Venezuela will honor the extradition treaty or grant the Malaysian asylum in Venezuela.

The Biggest Bribery Scandal in U.S. Military History

Fat Leonard is a Malaysian businessman who owned and operated the Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd. or GDMA, which supplied food, water, and fuel for vessels around Southeast Asia for decades.

He allegedly lured in naval officers to direct ships to docks he operated with prostitutes, Kobe beef, cigars, and other bribes. However, he also tends to overbill the U.S. Navy, and he did so with the help of dozens of U.S. Navy officials.

The Guardian reported that he cooperated with the investigations so far, and even helped in charging four of the naval officers involved in his illegal activities. To date, there have been 29 naval officers who have pleaded guilty in their involvement with Fat Leonard's schemes.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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