Jho Low’s alleged associate dies after less than a month in M'sia

An alleged associate of the fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) is dead, less than a month after his return to Malaysia.

A source at the MACC confirmed to Malaysiakini that a person featured in an obituary is the same Kee Kok Thiam who was arrested upon his return to Malaysia on May 3 after five years abroad.

The obituary states the funeral service will take place in Kepong tomorrow. Kee was 56 years old.

Meanwhile, the Malay Mail reported that Kee is believed to have died of a sudden illness.

It was previously reported that Kee was deported from Macau for overstaying his visa, arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 3am on May 3 where he was ordered to go to the MACC’s headquarters at 10am on the same day.

Al Jazeera reported earlier today that Kee told the MACC he had met Low and other 1MDB fugitives - including Eric Tan Kim Loong, Casey Tang Keng Chee, Geh Choh Heng, and Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil - in Macau.

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

Kee was subsequently released with no charges against him “at this time”, the report said.

An MACC source told Malaysiakini earlier this month that Kee is suspected to have embezzled money from 1MDB and SRC International, via the account of a company named Wright Shaw Limited.

“Previously, the MACC with the cooperation of the Singapore Commercial Affairs Department was reported to have succeeded in seizing Wright Shaw Limited’s account involving US$5.2 million (RM23 million),” the source said.

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