Episode 44: Ananda Krishnan

Grubstakers

This week's episode follows the foibles of adorably corrupt leech on the state Ananda Krishnan. Hear all about how he was able to fund the 1985 Live Aid concert by jumping in bed with kleptocratic regimes in Indonesia and the Philippines, how he became a billionaire through the hard work of getting a monopoly gambling license from Malaysia, and how his friendship with the current Prime Minister makes it unlikely he'll be charged for his role in the 1MDB fraud. CORRECTIONS: There is no evidence Ananda Krishnan was divorced. Also Tim Leissner/Goldman Sachs did the IPOs for Maxis, Ananda's cellular company, in 2002 and Astro, Ananda's satellite company, in 2003. In the episode we mix up the two companies when discussing Tim's role.