MACC believes Jho Low hiding in Macau

MACC reportedly said the anti-graft body “believes” Malaysian-born fugitive financier Low Taek Jho is hiding in Macau.

According to a report by Al Jazeera today, MACC was quoted in a written response as saying that this was confirmed by several individuals who have seen Low in Macau.

“MACC believes the individuals wanted for 1MDB, especially Jho Low, are hiding in Macau,” the Doha-based news network said.

The report added that the revelation comes just weeks after the arrest of a relatively unknown 1MDB suspect Kee Kok Thiam.

On May 3, Kee, who is understood to be Low’s alleged aide, was arrested when he arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Citing a Malaysian police source, Al Jazeera reported that Kee was deported from Macau for overstaying his visa.

Following an interview with MACC officers, Kee was released and the graft busters said no charges had been laid against him “at this time”.

According to Al Jazeera’s report, MACC said Kee had revealed to its officers that Macau immigration imprisoned him for a month in 2021.

However, he was released “conditionally” as the semi-autonomous territory’s borders were closed due to Covid-19 regulations.

The MACC also reportedly said Kee confirmed that he met Low and a number of other 1MDB fugitives – including Eric Tan Kim Loong, Casey Tang Keng Chee, Geh Choh Heng and Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil – in Macau.

Kee also said that Low had instructed him “not to return to Malaysia as a witness in the 1MDB case”.

MACC gathering intelligence

Putrajaya, MACC said, did not receive any notification from Macau regarding Kee’s repatriation but was quoted as saying that it “rather knew Kee was being deported from Macau based on intelligence networking”.

“The investigation paper is focused on the assets belonging to Kee Kok Thiam in Singapore and has been completed and submitted to the attorney general’s office for the next course of action,” an official was reported as saying.

Al Jazeera added that MACC said it had been gathering intelligence since the government issued a travel ban against 1MDB suspects, including Kee. The MACC said this took place shortly after the 2018 election.

The news network reported that Macau authorities had declined to comment on specific cases when asked about Kee.

However, they wanted to “emphasise” that cases involving foreigners” are always handled “in accordance with the law and procedures, as well as relevant international practices”.

Then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and Umno suffered a stunning loss in GE14 and the Malay nationalist party was swept from power after over 60 years of uninterrupted rule.

Najib is currently serving a 12-year jail sentence in relation to a corruption case involving RM42 million of funds from SRC International, which used to be a subsidiary of 1MDB.

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