KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian police have already obtained from Interpol Red Notices for fugitives Low Taek Jho – better known as Jho Low – and Nicky Liow Soo Hee.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani confirmed this in a statement issued by Bukit Aman late last night, after he had been quoted earlier in the day as saying that Interpol had yet to put up Red Notices for the duo although police have made the applications.
According to Acryl Sani, the notice for Low is dated June 11, 2018, and Liow’s is April 20 this year.
He said both notices were only for the attention of enforcement agencies in member countries, and were not made public.
“There are two categories of Red Notices by Interpol. One can be shared for public display and information, and the other is limited – to be accessible only to enforcement agencies,” he said.
“The Interpol headquarters is the party that determines whether a notice is to be issued for public display, or for the eyes of enforcement agencies only. This is dependent on the level of seriousness and risk to the public.
“Both the Red Notices issued on Low and Liow are for the attention of enforcement agencies only,” he added.
Acryl Sani said Malaysian police are committed to ensuring the duo are arrested and brought to justice.
In April, Johor police chief Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said Interpol issued a Red Notice against Liow and his assistant, 31-year-old Chinese national Niu Zhe.
Then IGP Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said in February last year that Low was on the Red Notice list, and rubbished reports that claimed otherwise.
Red Notices are published at the request of a member country, and must comply with Interpol’s constitution and rules. A Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant.
It allows provisional arrest of a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.
Moreover, it contains two main types of information:
– Information to identify the wanted person such as their name, date of birth, nationality, hair and eye colour, photographs, and fingerprints, if available; and
– Information related to the crime they are wanted for, which can typically be murder, rape, child abuse, or armed robbery. – The Vibes, December 13, 2021
