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Malaysia
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Explainer | What’s the deal with Jho Low, Malaysia’s most wanted man?

  • The embattled financier is now facing criminal indictments from the US Department of Justice
  • But he’s a hard man to track down, as the authorities have discovered

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Portraits of Jho Low held aloft during a protest in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: AP
Tashny Sukumaran
Embattled financier Low Taek Jho – popularly referred to as Jho Low – is now facing criminal indictments from the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) over the 1MDB global financial corruption scandal.
The fugitive businessman, who is believed to be hiding in China, is also wanted by Malaysia and Singapore in connection with the 1MDB matter. But just how much hot water is the elusive, rotund financier in – and how difficult will it be to bring him in?
Low is believed to be the mastermind behind the 1MDB financial scandal. Photo: SCMP
Low is believed to be the mastermind behind the 1MDB financial scandal. Photo: SCMP

Q. Just how much trouble is Jho Low in?

A. Jho Low is wanted by the US DoJ for crimes in connection with the scandal-ridden 1MDB sovereign wealth fund, specifically conspiring to launder billions of dollars from the fund and bribing officials to turn a blind eye to misappropriations. Low’s is among the DoJ’s first criminal charges in the case, although it previously filed a civil asset forfeiture suit to reclaim items allegedly bought with illegally obtained funds, such as artwork by the likes of Monet and Picasso, jewellery, and a US$250 million superyacht, Equanimity, which was seized by the Malaysian authorities in August. Arrests warrants for Low have been issued in Singapore and Malaysia.

Low is believed to be the mastermind behind the 1MDB financial scandal which has seen several elected representatives and allies of the former ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, charged in court with abuse of power, money-laundering, and corruption. According to the book Billion Dollar Whale by Wall Street Journal writers Bradley Hope and Tom Wright, which details the newspaper’s investigation into the scandal, Low engineered the entire matter with the help of embattled former Malaysian premier Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor.

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