1MDB suit: Court sentences Jho Low, father to jail for contempt

The Kuala Lumpur High Court has sentenced businessperson Low Taek Jho and his father Larry Low Hock Peng to jail for not complying with a restraining order against them.

However, Jho Low and Hock Peng were not present and they were not represented by lawyers during an open-court proceeding before judge Hayatul Akmal Abdul Aziz today.

The order was issued over the duo failing to abide by the Mareva injunction obtained by 1MDB in the US$3.7837 billion lawsuit against them and four others.

A Mareva injunction is an interim order to restrain the defendants from disposing of assets until the final disposal of the main civil suit.

When contacted, counsel Siva Kumar Kanagasabai confirmed the outcome of his client 1MDB’s application to cite the father and son for contempt of court for contravening the terms of the injunction.

“They were sentenced to imprisonment until the contempt is purged,” the lawyer said.

The civil action is fixed for case management on Wednesday this week.

Back on March 15, the court allowed a Mareva injunction by 1MDB and a second plaintiff against Jho Low, his father as well as several other individuals.

Then on March 29, the court allowed an application by the two plaintiffs for an ad-interim injunction to restrain the father and son from dissipating US$1.4 billion in assets, pending disposal of the main civil action.

The second plaintiff is 1MDB’s subsidiary, Global Diversified Investment Company Limited (formerly known as 1MDB Global Investments Limited).

No response to an injunction order

1MDB and its subsidiary later applied to cite Jho Low and his father for contempt over the duo not putting in any response in court against the injunction order.

Later on May 25, the court dismissed the duo’s application to set aside the Mareva injunction. The father and son then were still represented by lawyers (unlike today).

On May 7, 2021, 1MDB filed a US$3.7837 billion lawsuit against Jho Low; his father; his mother Goh Gaik Ewe; sister May Lin; younger brother Taek Szen and alleged associate Eric Tan Kim Loong.

The suit was part of the 22 civil actions by 1MDB and its former subsidiary SRC International that was launched last year.

The various lawsuits targeted those who purportedly defrauded the two government-owned entities, whether knowingly or unknowingly.

Malaysian authorities are still trying to trace the whereabouts of Jho Low and several others to assist in the investigation into the 1MDB scandal. - Mkini