Jho Low under house arrest in Shanghai, claims author

 

Al Jazeera reported yesterday MACC believed Jho Low was ‘hiding’ in Macau.  (AP pic)

PETALING JAYA: Fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, is believed to be under house arrest in Shanghai, according to the co-author of “Billion Dollar Whale”.

Bradley Hope said on Twitter he believed Low was under house arrest in the Chinese city.

“China is holding Jho on a tight leash because of negotiations with Malaysia but also because his patrons in the spy services are arrested and business partners at CCCC (China Communications Construction Company) ousted,” he said.

Hope said Low went from being an intelligence asset to a liability after Najib Razak was voted out of power in the 2018 general election.

Yesterday, Al Jazeera reported that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) believed that Low was “hiding” in Macau.

The alleged mastermind in the 1MDB scandal has been charged in Malaysia and the US over allegations he orchestrated the theft of US$4.5 billion from the sovereign wealth fund. Beijing previously denied protecting the fugitive financier.

Last night, it was reported that Kee Kok Thiam, a former aide to Low who had informed Malaysian authorities of his whereabouts in Macau, had died.

An MACC source confirmed with Malay Mail Online that Kee, who had returned to Malaysia on May 3 after five years abroad, had died. - FMT