Jho Low not in Macau, says top security official

The office of Macau’s top security official has denied the claim by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abdul Hamid Bador that fugitive financier Low Taek Jho is hiding in Macau.

Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak said in a statement that the local police “clearly” told Malaysian authorities via China’s Interpol National Central Office in 2018 that Low, better known as Jho Low, was not in Macau.

Wong in his statement said that Malaysian police had breached international police cooperation practice by “unilaterally” releasing information claiming that Low is in Macau.

He also said that Malaysian police had not contacted their Macau counterparts since 2018.

On Wednesday, Abdul Hamid told reporters that there was every indication that Low was in Macau and was known to have conducted business transactions while based there.

"We are pursuing every avenue to track him down and bring him to face justice," he said, adding that Low's close family members were also believed to be moving about freely in Hong Kong.

On Tuesday, ex-premier Najib Abdul Razak was found guilty of seven charges in his SRC International corruption trial and faced 12 years in prison, along with a RM210 million fine.

The court ruled that Low had played a crucial role in transferring RM42 million from a former 1MDB unit to Najib's accounts.  - Mkini