1MDB scandal: Macau disputes Malaysia’s claim Jho Low is hiding out in city

Malaysia’s ‘unilateral’ disclosure of information about the fugitive financier ‘is not in line with facts’, Macau’s Office of the Secretary for Security said

Comments follow a statement from the Chinese embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday that rejected accusations China was sheltering Low

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Jho Low seen pictured in the US capital in 2015. Photo: AP

Published: 1:48pm, 31 Jul 2020Updated: 2:55pm, 31 Jul 2020

Macau has disputed Malaysian authorities’ claim that Jho Low is hiding in the city as authorities continue with efforts to locate and bring the fugitive financier home to face justice for his role in the 1MDB global corruption scandal.

The “unilateral” disclosure of information from Malaysia’s police that Low, also known as Low Taek Jho, is in Macau is “not in line with facts and the rules and practices of international police cooperation”, the Office of the Secretary for Security said in a statement dated July 30.

The Malaysian government has not notified Macau authorities or made any requests regarding the fugitive, the office said. Malaysia was informed in 2018 that Low was not in the territory after the Macau sub-bureau of the China National Central Bureau of Interpol received a request from Malaysia.

Macau’s comments follow a statement from the Chinese embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday that rejected accusations the country was sheltering Low as “groundless and unacceptable”, saying that police had investigated all possible leads but were unable to trace him.

Malaysian authorities claim that Jho Low is hiding out in Macau. Photo: Reuters

“The position of the Chinese government on combating crime is consistent and clear-cut,” it said. “China does not and will never shelter foreign criminals.”

A Macau-based lawyer, who declined to be named, said that the city’s authorities may not have as much information regarding the whereabouts of businessman Low as their Malaysian counterparts.