ERIC TAN, WHOM MANY ONCE SUSPECTED WAS ROSMAH IN DISGUISE, IS JHO LOW’S MOST TRUSTED AIDE – REPORT

PETALING JAYA: The mysterious Eric Tan Kim Loong has been with Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, even before the latter made a presence in the scandal-riddled 1Malaysia Development Fund (1MDB).

 Tan, who was the front for Jho Low in all his banking transactions involving billions of ringgit from 1MDB, is a family friend and business partner to Jho Low’s siblings.

He was a shareholder in several companies in Malaysia and Singa-pore doing business with relatives of Jho Low before he became Jho Low’s point person and most trusted aide.

“Tan is a smart operator and deliberately kept a low profile to the extent that he is almost unknown except to a few,” said a source.

Tan’s identity only emerged in public during the trial of a former BSI Bank of Singapore banker, Yeo Jia Wei, who was sentenced to 54 months jail for his role in the 1MDB fiasco.

Malaysians had a glimpse of Tan when Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) released a picture of him to help them in the 1MDB investigation.

Jho Low also used Tan to galvanise support for Barisan Nasional’s election campaign in its attempt to wrest back Penang in the 2013 General Election.

The source told The Star that Tan was one of the key figures to have helped Jho Low and his brother to “raise” money to finance charity work through 1Malaysia-Penang Welfare Club and organise free concerts in Penang. – ANN

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Jho Low’s lawyers gave reporters the slip

Lawyers representing Jho Low gave reporters the slip after appearing for pre-trial proceedings involving a suit filed by former Umno division head Khairuddin Abu Hassan.

Lawyers Rishwant Singh and Francis Ng Aik Guan were believed to have left the courtroom through an exit normally used by judges and court staff after proceedings were held in Justice Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim chambers.

Reporters had waited for the duo outside the courtroom hoping to quiz the duo about their client. In the past, Low’s lawyer had also slipped pass reporters by using the witness room exit.

Khairuddin’s had filed a suit to recover a US$27.3 billion pink diamond from Low, 1MDB and Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Previously, Khairuddin’s legal team, led by Gopal Sri Ram, was unsuccessful in their bid to cross-examine Low to determine if he had really appointed Ng as a lawyer.

Low is currently wanted by the MACC and Singaporean authorities have placed an Interpol red-notice on him. He is believed to be currently hiding in Macau.

Meanwhile, Khairuddin’s lawyer Damien Chan said his team had sought more time from the court to file the recently declassified auditor-general report on 1MDB.

Rosmah’s lawyer Yazid Mustaqim said he would seek further instructions from his client on whether they would reply to the application for more time.

“The next case management has been fixed on Aug 3,” he said.

Khairuddin was also seeking the court’s permission to file the same document as evidence in his other suit against Najib and his former deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for allegedly violating their oath of office. Case management for this case was fixed for Aug 3 as well.

– M’kini