Authorities in Macao say Malaysia should have used “international police cooperation” to verify the whereabouts of fugitive financier Low Taek Jho before publicly asserting that he was in the territory.
The office of security secretary Wong Sio Chak released a statement this week condemning a claim made to Al Jazeera by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). The Qatar-owned broadcaster was told by the MACC that Jho Low, as the wanted businessman is commonly called, was hiding in Macao.
Wong’s office expressed “surprise and shock” that the MACC had not used “international judicial assistance in criminal matters, to investigate and verify the situation” before making the claim.
[See more: Malaysian authorities still believe that fugitive financier Jho Low is hiding in Macao]
Malaysian officials first asserted that Jho Low was holed up in Macao in 2020. Local authorities have consistently refuted the suggestion.
Jho Low is accused of stealing US$1.42 billion during three bond transactions arranged by Goldman Sachs for Malaysia’s 1MDB wealth fund. He is also accused of transferring US$9.1 million from a 1MDB subsidiary to bank accounts controlled by Malaysia’s former prime minister, Najib Razak, who is now serving a 12-year sentence.
The former high flyer has denied wrongdoing and says charges against him are politically motivated.
