CNN: Malaysian developer's business deals with Ivanka Trump under FBI scrutiny
NATION
PETALING JAYA: The business dealings between Ivanka Trump (pix) and one of Malaysia's richest scions, Tiah Joo Kim, are being investigated by the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), CNN reports.
Quoting a former and a current US official, CNN reported on Thursday that the FBI is scrutinising the negotiations and financing surrounding the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver.
The US$360mil (RM1.4bil) Trump tower was developed by 37-year-old Tiah, the son of tycoon Datuk Tony Tiah Thee Kian.
The younger Tiah is the CEO of his family-owned property development company TA Global Bhd and its Canadian-based Holborn Group.
CNN reported that Holborn Group is backed by TA Enterprise chairman Tony Tiah, a man they said has "a chequered business history", including securities laws violations and false statements to the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE).
The 63-storey Trump International Hotel and Tower, featuring a trademarked Ivanka Trump spa, was jointly developed by TA Global Bhd and Holborn Group, and opened in February 2017, just after Donald Trump took office as US president.
During negotiations, Tiah reportedly bonded with Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner but negotiated directly with her over details of its development.
The FBI's scrutiny into Tiah's development comes as its special counsel Robert Mueller investigates allegations that Kushner conspired in the Russian tampering of the 2016 United States presidential election that led to Donald Trump's win.
Ivanka is also the special advisor to president Trump while Kushner is his senior adviser and also his son-in-law.