The US Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), arrived in Port Klang, Malaysia, on November 23. This was its first visit to the Southeast Asian state since the ‘Fat Leonard’ scandal shook the US Navy.
A statement released by the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said the visit, which is the first time a US aircraft carrier has visited Malaysia since 2012, shows that the long-standing partnership between the two countries—which is based on strong people-to-people, economic, and security ties—continues.
Further, the official announcement by the Royal Malaysian Navy on social media site X read: “The United States Navy ship, USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN-72) arrived at the Port Klang Cruise Terminal for an operational visit this morning. The arrival of the ship was greeted by Senior Director Bah. Development & Contingency Planning, Laksma Mohd Adzam bin Omar.”
The last visit by a US aircraft carrier to Malaysia was by USS George Washington in 2012. “Our visit to Kuala Lumpur is important to the U.S. Navy. It is the first time an aircraft carrier has visited in 12 years,” said Rear Adm. Adan Cruz, commander of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 3. “I deeply value the opportunity to strengthen the U.S. and Malaysian partnership while providing an opportunity for our Sailors and Marines to experience the amazing city of Kuala Lumpur.”
The latest visit marks the second time the USS Abraham Lincoln has visited Malaysia, with its first stop occurring in 2010 before the big scandal. US Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan said, “This historic visit reaffirms Malaysia’s importance to the United States. It highlights our shared commitment to regional stability and Malaysian sovereignty, providing an invaluable opportunity for collaboration between our navies and key leaders.”
Before arriving in Port Klang, the carrier hosted a group of Malaysian officials and media for a tour of the ship. The delegation visited and engaged with US Navy troops while observing flight operations, as previously reported by EurAsian Times. At the time, the Navy stated that during the carrier’s stay in the port, senior government officials from Malaysia would also get access to special tours.
The visit has made headlines and is being keenly watched for two reasons: the recent fracture in otherwise strong Malaysia-China ties due to territorial disputes and overlapping claims in the South China Sea, the fact that it comes after twelve long years, and the infamous ‘Fat Leonard’ bribery scandal that changed the US Navy’s interaction with Malaysian ports for years to come.
What Was The Fat Leonard Scandal?
The Fat Leonard scandal was a bribery scandal in the United States Navy orchestrated by Leonard Glenn Francis, a Malaysian national and the head of the Singapore-based company Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd (GDMA). Francis, who was known as ‘Fat Leonard’ due to his portly or plump frame at the time, was the culprit.
Fat Leonard bribed uniformed personnel of the US Seventh Fleet with big sums of money, travel expenses, upscale goods, parties, and prostitutes in exchange for sensitive material containing information on the movements of US ships and submarines and private contracting information, among other crucial aspects concerning the fleet.
Based on this information obtained by deceit, Fat Leonard ordered his moles to divert aircraft carriers, ships, and submarines to ports he controlled in Southeast Asia to easily bilk the Navy for fuel, tugboats, barges, food, water, and sewage cleanup.
As per some reports, he even manipulated the Navy to hire divers through GDMA to look for explosives in harbors. And, to strengthen GDMA’s reputation for “well done” work, he instructed them to write “Bravo Zulu” notes, which are shorthand for a letter of commendation from the Navy issued to civilians who have performed exceptional services for the Navy.
Fat Leonard, thus, went on to manipulate the US Navy for years until he was caught.
Fat Leonard pleaded guilty in 2015 to using a slew of bribes to obtain lucrative contracts for Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd. from more than 30 officials, including more than two dozen naval commanders.
At the time, he also admitted that the Pentagon was overcharged for services that were not provided. The Department of Justice claimed he defrauded the Navy of over US$35 million in total.
The fraudster had dubbed Port Klang one of his “pearl ports” because of how profitable it had become under his plan. In fact, in 2010, Francis, along with US Navy Capt. Daniel Dusek hatched a plan to divert Abraham Lincoln to Port Klang, according to the Southern District of California U.S. Attorney’s Office.
This is what makes the return of the USS Abraham Lincoln to Port Klang a significant event.
The Justice Department declared in 2015 that Francis wrote to one of his staff members, “[Dusek] is a golden asset to drive the big decks into our fat revenue GDMA ports.” The department said that Dusek was given a 42-month prison sentence in 2016.
Fat Leonard provided “incriminating evidence against hundreds of Navy personnel.” However, his saga did not end there.
The disgraced Malaysian billionaire admitted to the fraud and bribery accusations against him, but because of his ill health at the time, he was allowed to stay under house arrest. As per this arrangement, he could get treatment for advanced kidney cancer, provided he remained under 24-hour private protection and complied with the rules laid down by the Justice Department.
However, three weeks before he was to be sentenced, Fat Leonard ripped off the GPS tracking device that was supposed to keep him from escaping on September 4, 2022.
He escaped to Mexico, booked a flight to Cuba, and then continued to Caracas, Venezuela, where he was caught while preparing to board his flight for an onward journey to Russia. He was sent back to California in December as part of a prisoner exchange between the United States and Venezuela, in which Washington released a Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro loyalist in return for ten American prisoners.
Earlier this month, he was sentenced to 15 years in jail. The court ordered the 60-year-old to pay US$20 million in restitution to the US Navy and fined him US$150,000.
In addition, his business, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, was fined US$36 million and placed on five years of probation, “Leonard Francis lined his pockets with taxpayer dollars while undermining the integrity of US Naval forces,” said US Attorney Tara McGrath in a statement. “The impact of his deceit and manipulation will be long felt, but justice has been served today.”
Further, Kelly P. Mayo, the director of the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, said in a news release: “Mr. Francis’ sentencing brings closure to an expansive fraud scheme that he perpetrated against the U.S. Navy with assistance from various Navy officials. This fraud conspiracy ultimately cost the American taxpayer millions of dollars and weakened the public’s trust in some of our Navy’s senior leaders.”
However, some others lamented that even though Francis, alias Fat Leonard, was finally convicted and imprisoned, the scandal caused a breach of trust in officers and a loss of face for the US Navy that would take years to repair.
That said, it is worth highlighting that the return of the USS Abraham Lincoln to Malaysia came after this high-profile conviction, thus sending a message that everything was fine between the two sides.
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