Gov't knows where Jho Low is, says Daim

The government knows the whereabouts of fugitive financier Jho Low, said Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) chairperson Daim Zainuddin.

However, he declined to reveal the information when pressed further about the location of Low, whose real name is Low Taek Jho.

"The last time he was in Macau. I think the government knows his whereabouts," he told reporters when asked about Low, who is on Interpol's Red Notice over his alleged role in the multi-billion ringgit 1MDB scandal.

Daim, who is a former finance minister, also dismissed a notion that he had discussed the wanted businessperson during his recent visit to China.

"When I went to China, I did not negotiate on Low's whereabouts," he added, referring to his mission to China last month which Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said was to renegotiate loan and contract deals with the superpower.

Daim said today that he went to China on Mahathir's request to pave way for the prime minister's official visit.

Low is wanted by the governments of Malaysia and the US over his alleged involvement in the 1MDB scandal, which the latest development saw his superyacht Equanimity worth RM1 billion seized.

In June, Mahathir confirmed that Malaysia was going after Low, but said that the fugitive had been hiding at a location where he could not be extradited.

Mahathir said their ground to arrest Low would be based on authorities' investigations into his role in the 1MDB scandal. 

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) claimed in its suits that he was involved in multiple instances where 1MDB funds were allegedly misappropriated.

He was accused of having used 1MDB funds to purchase the superyacht Equanimity; jewellery for model Miranda Kerr; and also a US$27.3 million pink diamond necklace for the wife of Malaysian Official 1 (MO1). - Mkini