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An Obama-Fugees-DiCaprio Legal Riddle for the Ages

Jho Low, the Malaysian fugitive businessman wanted for allegedly masterminding the theft of billions from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund. Photo: D Dipasupil/FilmMagic
Eriq Gardner
February 27, 2023

These days, Jho Low is a notorious fugitive, wanted by the U.S. for allegedly masterminding the theft of billions from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund and then attempting to covertly influence American politics. Back in 2012, however, he was right next to Barack Obama at the White House for a holiday party. And there’s a (blurry) photo, too! 

The pic was lodged into the public record for the first time on Friday by Pras Michel, the ex-Fugees rapper who is going to trial next month for allegedly helping Low funnel money to Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign through straw donors, and for later attempting to influence Donald Trump to extradite a Chinese dissident. The hip-hop star wants to call both Obama and Trump to the witness stand, and the U.S. government, naturally, is attempting to prevent that from happening.