Former SRC chief Nik Faisal in Hong Kong, says IGP

Former CEO of SRC International Sdn Bhd, Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil is hiding in Hong Kong together with his wife and children, Bukit Aman revealed today.

Inspector-General Abdul Hamid Bador said they have relayed the information to the Hong Kong authorities to get their assistance but so far did not get a positive response.

"Nik Faisal is in Hong Kong. His wife and kids are there. We have also written to the Hong Kong police to ask their assistance to locate (Nik Faisal)," he told reporters during a press conference at the federal police headquarters today.

The top cop was answering reporters' questions on the latest update into attempts to locate fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho and his known associates wanted by authorities over 1MDB scandal.

According to Abdul Hamid, they have notified Hong Kong police several times about Nik Faisal's whereabouts, complete with details that Bukit Aman has obtained on the wanted man.

However, he added that the Hong Kong authority had returned their request with a negative answer, saying that information provided by Malaysian police was not correct.

"We had relayed the information in many ways, including verbally by contacting our counterparts there. It must be remembered that he (Nik Faisal) is on Interpol's red notice, so it is the responsibility of the police there (to assist).

"Moreover, we have also provided them with certain details. The answers, however, had always come back negative. But based on our information, his wife and children are there. So, it is not logical for them to leave Jakarta and go (to Hong Kong) if he is not there," Abdul Hamid said.

"Now, we have provided them with precise information. So we wait," he added.

For the record, SRC International used to be a subsidiary of 1MDB, and Nik Faisal (above) was one of those being sought by the police.

He is among the most important witness in the ongoing SRC International trial against former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

He had been named by witnesses in the trial as the person who has control of Najib's AmBank accounts, into which a sum of RM42 million was allegedly credited into.

However, efforts to bring him in to testify in the hearing has yet to be successful as authorities investigating the case since 2015 has yet to be able to interview the former director.

Location of others also known by police

Meanwhile, on Low, Abdul Hamid said he does not have information about the man's whereabouts, but stressed that police would not stop to pursue the fugitive and his associates.

He claimed that police had also obtained information in the whereabouts of five others who are wanted alongside the businessperson.

However, according to him, police could not arrest them due to "some constraints".

He also hinted that the individuals had been hiding in a certain area but didn't elaborate. Instead, Abdul Hamid asked journalists to analyse why they chose to do so.

"There were those who had been going back and forth to Cambodia, some to Thailand, there were also those who are in Macau and Hong Kong," he said.

"And we can see that this gang of robbers, they stay in one area. So, can you just imagine, visualise and analyse why is it so.

"Why are they not (hiding) in... let's say one in Czechoslovakia, maybe one in Cyprus, another in Turkey, or Taiwan, one more in Vladivostok, Russia. Why all of them are concentrated in one area, I leave it to your imagination," he said.

Meanwhile, on another matter, Abdul Hamid said he had a discussion about former police special force personnel, Sirul Azhar Umar with a representative of the Australia Federal Police (AFP) during the latter's official visit to Bukit Aman earlier today.

He said the issue of getting Sirul extradited from Australia to face his conviction over the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu would not get resolved as long as Malaysia has capital punishment.

"It has been a policy for Australia that they would not deport a foreigner to a country to face capital punishment and we respect their law.

"We cannot force them. Of course, we do want to bring back Sirul, but because of the legal constraints in Australia, the matter just hangs like this," he said.

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