KUALA LUMPUR — Fugitive financier Low Taek Jho who is wanted in Malaysia over the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) still has to face charges locally despite recently reaching a settlement with the US Department of Justice (DoJ), Attorney General (AG) Tan Sri Tommy Thomas has reportedly said.
Thomas also reportedly urged Low to stop hiding abroad and return to Malaysia to face criminal charges in court, giving the assurance that the latter would be given a fair trial.
“As far as Malaysia is concerned, all our own charges against him will continue, and he should return home to face them instead of hiding and making all sorts of claims that he will not get a fair trial,” he was quoted as telling financial daily The Edge.
Thomas reportedly pointed to the conduct of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s two ongoing corruption trials linked to the 1MDB scandal, which were described as being carried out in a fair and transparent fashion before independent judges.
“Jho Low will be guaranteed that,” he was also quoted as saying, referring to the name that Low is popularly known by.
Low currently has a few criminal cases awaiting him in Malaysian courts, including accusations of money laundering and allegedly abetting Goldman Sachs in the 1MDB scandal.
Thomas also highlighted that Low still has other outstanding court cases to answer in the US despite the settlement, as the settlement agreement reached with the US DoJ was only in relation to civil forfeiture action against him.
“Other criminal charges for money laundering and corrupt practices filed against Jho Low by the DoJ are not part of the settlement,” Thomas was quoted as saying.
Yesterday, Low’s spokesman said he has been offered asylum without naming a country, but did not specify his whereabouts.
Low has continued to deny any wrongdoing, and claims all charges against him in Malaysia are political.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador also denied today that Low is in hiding in the United Arab Emirates as reported by some, saying it was illogical and impossible for a person who is wanted in several countries to enter the country easily.
The DoJ announced the settlement agreement yesterday for the recovery of assets estimated at over US$700 million from Low and his family, but stressed that it did not exonerate Low or release his from future charges.
The DoJ said these assets to be recovered are located in the US, UK and Switzerland, including high-end properties in Beverly Hills, New York and London; a luxury boutique hotel in Beverly Hills; and tens of millions of dollars in business investments allegedly made by Low with money that can be traced back to 1MDB funds.
The DoJ had said that this was on top of US authorities’ previous assistance in the recovery of nearly $140 million in assets that the US had forfeited in relation to Low’s investment linked to a New York hotel, and a super-yacht valued at over US$120 million that Indonesian authorities seized at the DoJ’s request and that were then recovered by Malaysia directly from Indonesia.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad reportedly said yesterday that Malaysia will ask the United States to hand over the US$1 billion in assets recovered from Low.
MALAY MAIL
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