KUALA LUMPUR – It seems that the long arm of the law has yet to reach fugitive Low Taek Jho as the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) is unable to detect his whereabouts.
Better known as Jho Low, the 41-year-old Penangite – who is wanted over his alleged involvement in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal – has been on the run since 2018.
A source told Utusan Malaysia that police have never stopped looking for Low but have applied for an Interpol red notice to facilitate the hunt.
“Jho Low’s latest location is unknown. PDRM has applied for an Interpol red notice on Low and his accomplices suspected to be involved with the 1MDB scandal.
“Low is on the list that can only be accessed by security forces as the Interpol headquarters decides which notices are made public. It depends on the public threat level,” the source was quoted as saying.
A check on Interpol’s website found that only four Malaysians are listed as red notice – Altantuya Shaariibuu’s murderer Umar Sirul Azhar, 51; insurance scammer Kueh Koh Ing, 47; Penangite Tan Lok Seng, 54, who misappropriated RM92 million; and murder suspect Loo Soon Aik, 41.
On August 5, 2020, then inspector-general Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said the 1MDB mastermind was believed to be in China but this was denied by the Chinese authorities.
Former SRC International Sdn Bhd chief executive Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil was suspected to be in Hong Kong while 1MDB former general counsel Jasmine Loo may be in Shenzhen, China. Both are also wanted for their alleged roles in the financial scandal.
The renewed vigour to uncover Jho Low’s whereabouts came on the heels of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s imprisonment when the Federal Court upheld his conviction in his SRC International case on August 23.
On Wednesday, Billion Dollar Whale authors Tom Wright and Bradley Hope shared a photo of someone who resembled Low, claiming the fugitive was spotted in Shanghai Disneyland, China in 2019.
A person resembling him was photographed sitting at a table with two other individuals in what seems to be a restaurant.
They claimed that Low is leading a domestic life in China where he is married with two children. The exact location of his home there, however, is not known.
Wright and Hope also said they have received tips about Low’s whereabouts and who might be sheltering him from justice. Both concluded that Low has been confined to China. However, his exact location remains unknown.
This prompted Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin to urge anyone with information on the whereabouts of Low to contact the Malaysian authorities. – The Vibes, September 3, 2022
