Mukhriz: Umno elite shielding Jho Low

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Harapan vice-president Mukhriz Mahathir has accused Umno leaders of being determined to protect Low Taek Jho from prosecution in the face of widespread suspicion that illegal activities contributed to the flamboyant businessman’s immense wealth.

Speaking at a forum last night, Mukhriz noted that Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi recently said police had stopped trying to track Low down for alleged violation of laws. Zahid was quoted as saying that there was no case against the tycoon, better known as Jho Low.

“This is incredible,” Mukhriz told his audience in Alor Gajah, Melaka.

“Jho Low has so much immunity. He has stolen the people’s money and he lives a life of luxury, and yet Umno is still defending him.”

He urged Umno members to wake up and acknowledge that their party was beyond saving.

“The party leadership has betrayed the party’s original struggle,” he said. “There is no use trying to save the leaders or even Umno.

“The only thing to do is to defeat the Umno-BN government in the upcoming general election.”

Prosecutors in Singapore have named Low as the central figure in probes linked to the 1MDB affair, saying he used money traceable to the state fund for his own benefit.

According to Singapore court filings, about US$1 billion that 1MDB purportedly invested in a joint venture with PetroSaudi International Ltd was diverted to a bank account beneficially owned by Low, who has disappeared from the public eye.

On Monday, press reports quoted Zahid as telling the Dewan Rakyat that a request had been forwarded to Interpol to locate Low. However, later in the day and in the wake of a report that Low’s luxury yacht was spotted off Aceh, Zahid denied making the statement.

The yacht, said to cost about RM800 million, had previously been reported seen in various coastal resorts and holiday island destinations. -FMT