Report: Malaysian Financial Crimes Fugitive Hiding in Macau

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Facts

  • The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has confirmed that white-collar criminal Jho Low is believed to be hiding in Macau, the first assurance of his whereabouts since leaving Malaysia in 2016.1
  • Low allegedly orchestrated the theft of billions from the sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, for which he was charged in absentia in 2018, and is the subject of an Interpol investigation involving financial crimes in several nations around the world.2
  • Earlier in May, 1MDB suspect Kee Kok Thiam was detained in Kuala Lumpur after being deported from Macau for overstaying his visa. Kee reportedly told authorities that several suspects were hiding in the autonomous Chinese region.1
  • Coming the same day authorities revealed Low's whereabouts, it has now been confirmed by one source in the Commission and another in the Attorney General's Chambers that Thiam has been found dead — one month after he was extradited to Malaysia.3
  • Police sources have said Low is being protected by a prominent businessman in Macau, with a former Malaysian diplomat saying that it is not in 'China’s best interest' to extradite him due to information he may have about China's alleged involvement with 1MDB dealings.1
  • This comes as Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is serving a 12-year prison sentence for accepting illicit funds that Low allegedly facilitated and the FBI alleges he stole $1.42B from bond transactions. Low has maintained his innocence and struck a deal with US prosecutors in 2020 to recoup nearly $700M in assets.4

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2Bangkokpost, 3Malay Mail and 4South China Morning Post.

Narratives

  • Pro-China narrative, as provided by South China Morning Post. There are many reasons to be skeptical of new reporting that implicates China in the 1MDB scandal. There is little discernable reason why China would harbor an international criminal, and for Malaysia to downplay any Chinese obstructionism. We will have to wait for more details to emerge before making China even partially culpable.
  • Anti-China narrative, as provided by Reuters. The reporting on this matter is as close to airtight as one can get in these matters, as numerous trusted sources have affirmed what Al Jazeera has revealed. China is granting Low an exceptional amount of protection despite all the evidence provided. This likely shows Beijing is more involved in this scheme than simply harboring an independent criminal actor.