Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, alleged to be the financial mastermind behind siphoning billions from Malaysia's 1MDB, has slipped out of his last known location. His whereabouts are a mystery.
Recent reports and sightings placed Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, in Macau. Following a request from Malaysian authorities to detain Low in the former Portuguese colony, the 1MDB fugitive is said to have fled for an unknown destination, according to the «South China Morning Post».
Initial accounts placed Low in mainland China; that was later denied by Chinese officials. It also seems unlikely, as Malaysia has an extradition treaty with China.
Caribbean Citizen?
Low's Malaysian passport was cancelled earlier this month following a request from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) as it ramps up its investigations into the corruption-plagued 1MDB fund.
Low though is thought to be travelling on a Caribbean passport. He is alleged to hold citizenship in St. Kitts and Nevis, a tiny island in a string of Caribbean countries between Cuba and South America.
War of Words
With ex-Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner talking to U.S. prosecutors investigating the alleged $4.5 billion graft scheme, Low remains as the most high profile witness yet to be brought to book.
Singapore authorities had requested assistance from Hong Kong as far back as 2016, when the scandal surfaced, for help in detaining Low in the city, but the appeal had been rejected, the «Straits Times» reported. Hong Kong authorities have yet to respond to the claims. The Department of Justice in Hong Kong said it did not comment on individual cases.
