KUALA LUMPUR – Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador has assured fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, who is implicated in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, "safe passage" to return to the country.
Confirming Low's attempt to broker a deal for immunity from prosecution since 2018, Abdul Hamid said that he had come to know about this during his time heading the Special Branch, Malay Mail Online reported.
He said Low, also known as Jho Low, can return to the country "anytime" to enable him to explain himself to the attorney-general. He assured that Low would have “safe passage”.
“If he thinks he is innocent, why is he still in hiding?” he reportedly said.
Abdul Hamid added that Low remains a fugitive in the eyes of the law until he clears his name.
He also expressed disappointment over the slow progress of Low's repatriation, claiming that the latter had refused to cooperate.
“Nothing seems to move. He seems to be so stealthy that not even the mightiest law enforcement body with the most advanced technology can detect him,” Abdul Hamid was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.
Earlier today, Al Jazeera reported that Low had blamed the 1MDB scandal on former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The businessman reportedly pointed to Najib while attempting to negotiate immunity from prosecution, based on audio recordings of a conversation that Low had with an unnamed official during the rule of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who took over from Najib after the 2018 election.
According to the report, Low said that he had merely borrowed money from 1MDB to buy luxury real estate around the world, art masterpieces, a private jet and a mega-yacht. – The Vibes, November 17, 2020
