Fugitive Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho is either no longer in Macau or has launched an 11th-hour asylum bid to use the world’s richest gaming hub as a bolthole.

A security insider in Macau told the Post the potential for Low – widely known as Jho Low – to have seen the city as a sanctuary from multiple attempts by governments around the region to secure his arrest and extradition “makes sense”.

The insider added the maximum period of 30 days he would legally be allowed to stay in the city had passed and his only option would be to make an asylum request with immigration authorities.

“Rumours that he is, or has been, spending time in Macau have been circulating for more than a month now, and I have to say this makes sense because, while Malaysia has mutual legal assistance agreements with Hong Kong, they do not have these arrangements with Macau,” the security insider said.

“However, he cannot stay in Macau for more than 30 days, and if he was coming in and out the government would have kicked him out on his third entry to the city. Seven weeks is the maximum he can stay and considering the length of time suggestions that he is here have been doing the rounds, that time has passed.