LEONARD Glenn Francis, the Malaysian at the centre of a US$35 million (RM159 million) corruption scandal, has reportedly requested asylum in Venezuela, according to local media.

Francis, also known as “Fat Leonard”, fled the US recently after cutting off his GPS monitor in an audacious escape.

Venezuelan authorities picked him up at Simón Bolívar International Airport in response to an Interpol arrest warrant as he was about to board a flight, according to the US Marshals Service.

Carlos Garate Rondon, director general of Interpol Venezuela, said in a statement that Francis had entered the country from Mexico with a stopover in Cuba. His final destination was Russia, Rondon said.

Venezuela national news portal Ultimas Noticias, citing judicial sources, said the 58-year-old had requested asylum during a court appearance in Caracas on Thursday, in which he also said he had stage four renal cancer.

In 2015, Francis admitted to plying officers with cash, alcohol, prostitutes and other perks to ensure US Navy ships stopped at ports from which his firm Glenn Defence Marine Asia operated.

Twelve US Navy officers pleaded guilty in the US to charges relating to their roles in the scandal, with nine of them sentenced to various prison terms and fines.

According to US prosecutors, Francis had picked up the tab on widespread debauchery, including a May 2008 “raging multi-day party, with a rotating carousel of prostitutes, during which the conspirators drank all of the Dom Perignon available at the Shangri-La” hotel in Manila, at a cost of more than US$50,000.

In one port visit by the USS Blue Ridge in 2007, historical memorabilia in the MacArthur Suite at the Manila Hotel related to legendary US General Douglas MacArthur “were used by the participants in sexual acts”. – September 27, 2022.