Malaysian businessman eludes capture in the US Navy scandal

• A Malaysian businessman has evaded house arrest.
• There is a significant bribery investigation involving the US Navy.
• Fat Leonard took off his ankle bracelet before he vanished.

According to the US Marshals Service, a Malaysian businessman at the center of a significant bribery investigation involving the US Navy has evaded house arrest.

“Fat Leonard,” also known as Leonard Glenn Francis, took off his ankle bracelet before he vanished from his San Diego residence and is currently, according to reports, on the run.

It occurs three weeks before his sentence was set to be imposed.

In 2015, he admitted that he had bribed US Navy commanders in order to get lucrative military contracts.

The plan, according to the US Justice Department, was a massive fraud that cost the Navy tens of millions of dollars.

US Marshal Omar Castillo, a supervising deputy, told news organizations that Mr. Francis had severed his GPS tracker and left his residence some time on Sunday morning.

The organisation monitoring the device alerted police to an issue, and they showed up at his home.

He told the news agency AFP that when they arrived, they found no one at home.

According to Mr. Castillo, neighbours have reported seeing moving trucks entering and exiting his home in recent weeks. He added that numerous leads were being looked into.

Mr. Francis was the main perpetrator of a massive multi-million dollar bribery affair, which he managed through his Singapore-based business that provided services to the Pacific fleet of the US Navy.

He was detained in 2013 and admitted guilt in 2015 to bribing US Navy officers with $500,000 (£434,757) in order to direct official work to his shipyards.

In order to get the contracts, according to the prosecution, he overcharged the Navy by $35 million and bought off Navy commanders with cash, fine dining, pricey cigars, costly wine, and wild sex parties in posh hotels.

However, a recent health crisis, including kidney cancer, led to his placement under house arrest while he awaited trial and cooperated as a witness for the prosecution.

According to US media reports, dozens of Navy officials have been implicated in the case; four officers have been found guilty, and 28 others, including contractors and military officials, have already entered guilty pleas.

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