MACC believes Jho Low is hiding in Macau - Report
May 30, 2023
MACC believes Jho Low is hiding in Macau - Report
The MACC said it believed that the individuals wanted in connection with the 1MDB case were in Macau, especially Jho Low. - Image file
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) believes that fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low is hiding in Macau.
Quoting AlJazeera's report, the MACC in a written response said it believed that the individuals wanted in connection with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case were in Macau, especially Jho Low.
"This is also confirmed by several individuals who have seen Jho Low in Macau," MACC said in a report published by the news portal on Tuesday.
This is what the MACC clarified a few weeks after an individual allegedly involved in the investigation of the 1MDB and SRC International Sdn Bhd (SRC) case was reported to have been brought back to this country through MACC's cooperation with external enforcement agencies in early May.
AlJazeera also reported that the suspect, Kee Kok Thiam, arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on May 3 before being arrested by the MACC.
However, the suspect was released following an interview with MACC officers and no charges have been brought against him "at this time".
The MACC also said in the report that the Malaysian government did not receive any notification from Macau regarding the deportation of Kok Thiam, but knew that he was deported from Macau based on an "intelligence network".
"Investigation papers focused on the assets belonging to Kee Kok Thiam in Singapore and have been completed and sent to the Attorney General's office for follow-up action," quoted an official in the AlJazeera report.
Immediately after arriving in Kuala Lumpur, Kok Thiam revealed to MACC officials that Macau immigration detained him for a month in 2021 but released him "conditionally" when the Macau border was closed due to the COVID-19 restrictions, according to the report.
MACC also informed that Kok Thiam confirmed that he met Jho Low and several other fugitive 1MDB suspects including Eric Tan Kim Loong, Casey Tang Keng Chee, Geh Choh Heng and Nik Faisal in Macau.
In fact, MACC said, Jho Low had instructed Kok Thiam not to "return to Malaysia as a witness in the 1MDB case".
In early May, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that Malaysia was negotiating with several countries through diplomatic channels to speed up the process of bringing Jho Low home.
However, when asked if the negotiations involved China, PM Anwar said he could not comment on it.
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