Straits Times interview a PR exercise for Jho Low

QUESTION TIME | Is the Singapore Straits Times (ST) so insipid or so desperate for clicks that it reprints old denials by Malaysian fugitive and thief Jho Low in an e-mail interview reiterating what he has said many times before - that he is not the mastermind behind the US$7 billion (RM28 billion) theft at 1MDB?

In an article written by veteran reporter Leslie Lopez, who is now its regional correspondent, ST said that Low, in breaking a long silence over his role in the global financial debacle, argued that the "inordinate amount of media scrutiny on me compared to that placed on the global financial and other institutions and advisers that actually organised and facilitated the fundraisings at issue is astounding".

According to the report, Low, 38, said that decisions to proceed with or reject any transaction were the responsibilities of shareholders, the management and boards of these companies that were also advised by international bankers, lawyers and other independent professionals.

But really, wouldn’t it be natural for anyone, not just the media, to point the fingers at Low if all the known flows of funds from this theft came into accounts controlled by Low himself? Would that not indicate that he was the mastermind? Yes, of course. The media attention on him is totally justified.

And if he transferred some of the loot to then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, would it not be a clear indication that they were acting together in this grand theft, the largest the world has ever known? Of course.

Plainly, Low is now trying to say that he was not the one who pulled the strings and that he only suggested these things, trying in vain to absolve himself of blame. But if it can be clearly established that he gave the instructions, using the PM’s name and the monies came into his accounts, then he is guilty.

The story is not new at all. At various times, Low has proclaimed his innocence. For instance, in September 2018 he proclaimed his innocence over allegations related to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) in a signed letter uploaded to his personal website, The Star reported. He admitted that in hindsight, he might have done things differently.

“But any mistakes I made do not amount to the sweepingly broad and destructive allegations being made against me. Let me be clear: I am innocent,” Low wrote.

Jho Low's personal website. 

So, how is the ST report any different from this?

The article and the interview in ST do not indicate how the interview was conducted and whether Low answered all questions asked. Here are the questions - I have not bothered with the PR-ish answers:

1. You have been described by some in the media as the mastermind of one of the biggest financial frauds in history; a puppet master pulling the strings of investment bankers, lawyers, government officials and politicians to defraud Malaysia of billions of dollars. How would you frame this entire episode, your role in the affair and who in your mind were the main protagonists?
   
2. You have maintained your desire to tell your side of all of this, yet you remain in hiding. Why do you refuse to answer the criminal charges brought against you in the US and Malaysia? Why should the public believe your story when you will not appear for trial?
   
3. The US Department of Justice recently announced a sweeping agreement with you, resolving all of the civil forfeiture actions in the US. What does this mean for you and how do you intend to deal with your legal problems in Malaysia?
   
4. Your ties to powerful personalities in the Middle East, such as the late ruler of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, have been described as crucial to the 1MDB affair. Could you comment on this?
   
5. Could you comment on the asylum that you have received?

As a journalist of long-standing, I can say that this is not the kind of questions any self-respecting journalist will ask, especially one such as Lopez, who built up a reputation as a fearless reporter in various publications such as The Wall Street Journal. (Disclosure: I have known Lopez for many years and we were friends before.)

It looks like the questions, carefully framed by PR companies to make them look legitimate, are actually a platform for the interviewee to air his views without any kind of rebuttal from the interviewer.

To be fair, I don’t know if there was another list of questions, but if there was, it should be something that the ST and Lopez should have disclosed because it makes them look bad - as if they have been used by Jho Low to get his message out without any close questioning.

Here are five questions I would have asked Jho Low:

1. You deny you stole money from 1MDB yet the US Department of Justice said over US$4.5 billion of money was stolen from 1MDB and traces all of the money flows to your own accounts or accounts controlled by you. These are verifiable international funds flows. Explain, please.
   
2. It is a fact that you purchased over US$1 billion in assets in the US with money that can be directly traced back to 1MDB. Please explain where you got so much money and how it came to you through 1MDB.
   
3. Were you and Najib Abdul Razak well acquainted with each other and met each other many times in various places? Is it true that you dropped his name to get your way in decisions involving 1MDB? Money flows showed that jewels were bought for his wife with money you made available, money which can be traced back to 1MDB. Your comments, please.
   
4. You are of course aware that two officials who collaborated with you in cheating 1MDB, Khadem al Qubaisi, who once headed Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC), was handed a 15-year prison sentence and Mohammed Badawy al Husseiny, a US citizen who ran a subsidiary of IPIC, was sentenced to 10 years' jail. There is evidence that payments to them came out of accounts controlled by you. Explain, please.
   
5. Documents show that US$700 million intended for PetroSaudi International was fraudulently transferred into your own account. How can you say that you are not the mastermind when this and many other things indicate that much of the money stolen from 1MDB went into your accounts or accounts controlled by you?

These questions would at least ensure that he is put on the spot and is required to answer some tough questions. Otherwise, this interview with Jho Low is nothing but a PR exercise - for Jho Low.

But why would the ST lay its reputation on the line for just a few more clicks and reads?

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P GUNASEGARAM is editor-in-chief of Focus Malaysia and says good questions get good answers - or none at all. - Mkini