Explainer | Who is Malaysian fugitive Nicky Liow and what links him to ex-Macau triad boss ‘Broken Tooth’ Wan Kuok-koi?

Malaysian law enforcement personnel have been linked to the 33-year-old fugitive businessman, who was last seen fleeing Puchong in March

Suspected of bribing a string of officials in the country, he is also the vice-chairman of Wan Kuok-koi’s World Hongmen History and Culture Association

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Fugitive Malaysian businessman Nicky Liow Soon Hee. Photo: Weibo

Published: 11:47am, 5 Oct 2021Updated: 9:28am, 6 Oct 2021

Amid the scandals that Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency has grappled with this year, two notable figures stand out: fugitive Malaysian businessman Nicky Liow Soon Hee and ex-Macau crime boss Wan Kuok-koi, also known as Broken Tooth.

Liow is the vice-chairman of the World Hongmen History and Culture Association, which claims tens of thousands of members worldwide and was founded by Wan after his release from prison in 2012 with the stated aim of promoting solidarity and cultural exchange among Chinese communities around the globe.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission cited suspected links with Liow as the reason for arresting two of its own officials in April – one of whom was later charged with conspiring to receive a 100,000 ringgit (US$23,900) bribe.

Liow’s current whereabouts are unknown. The 33-year-old has been accused of money laundering, involvement with scam syndicates in Macau, and commercial crime. Police in Malaysia filed an Interpol Red Notice for his arrest on organised crime charges after he reportedly evaded capture in March, fleeing the town of Puchong, 20km southwest of Kuala Lumpur, with eight bags of cash in tow.

Wan, whose business interests have spanned Cambodia, Palau and Myanmar, is also the subject of an Interpol Red Notice filed in February by Malaysian police seeking his arrest for commercial crime related to his time as non-executive chairman of Inix Technologies Holdings Berhad, from June to December last year.

Explainer | Who is Malaysian fugitive Nicky Liow and what links him to ex-Macau triad boss ‘Broken Tooth’ Wan Kuok-koi?

Malaysian law enforcement personnel have been linked to the 33-year-old fugitive businessman, who was last seen fleeing Puchong in March Suspected of bribing a string of officials in the country, he is also the vice-chairman of Wan Kuok-koi’s World Hongmen History and Culture Association

Malaysian law enforcement personnel have been linked to the 33-year-old fugitive businessman, who was last seen fleeing Puchong in March

Suspected of bribing a string of officials in the country, he is also the vice-chairman of Wan Kuok-koi’s World Hongmen History and Culture Association