KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has confirmed that fugitive broker Low Taek Jho, also called Jho Low, is hiding in Macau.

Al Jazeera cited the anti-graft commission saying that it “believes the individuals wanted for the 1MDB case, especially Jho Low, are hiding in Macau”.

“This was also confirmed by several individuals who have seen Jho Low in Macau,” MACC was quoted saying.

Al Jazeera reported that MACC's remark came weeks after the arrest of Kee Kok Thiam — one of the suspects in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal — after he was deported from Macau for allegedly overstaying his visa.

Kee had reportedly confirmed to MACC that he met Low and fellow 1MDB fugitives and suspects Eric Tan Kim Loong, Casey Tang Keng Chee, Geh Choh Heng and Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil in Macau.

Low had reportedly told Kee “not to return to Malaysia as a witness in the 1MDB case”.

MACC reportedly said that Putrajaya was not notified by Macau over Kee’s repatriation, but had known that Kee was deported “based on intelligence networking”.

“The Investigation Paper is focused on the assets belonging to Kee Kok Thiam in Singapore and has been completed and submitted to the attorney general’s office for the next course of action,” an official reportedly said.

On May 5, Malay Mail reported that an unnamed suspect was brought back with the cooperation of enforcement agencies from abroad, and arrived at KLIA's Terminal 2 on May 3 at 3.30am. This is now believed to be Kee.

Upon arrival, he was given notice of an order to be present at the MACC's headquarters in Putrajaya at 10am on May 3, with MACC then recording his statement and searching his house on the same day.

According to sources, the man was suspected of having received money originating from funds misappropriated from 1MDB and SRC through the bank account of a company known as Wright Shaw Limited.

The MACC had previously with the cooperation of the Singapore police's Commercial Affairs Department succeeded in seizing Wright Shaw Limited's bank account containing funds of around US$5.2 million.

Investigations show that the man had received money originating from 1MDB's misappropriated funds through Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M).

MACC also told Al Jazeera that Kee said he was imprisoned for a month in 2021 by Macau's immigration body but was released “conditionally” as its borders were closed due to Covid-19 regulations.

The MACC is said to have helped recover 70 per cent of 1MDB's assets involving the sum of around RM28.3 billion.

Malaysian authorities had also sought information in the past on Low's parents, his associates, and former 1MDB officials such as Jasmine Loo.