KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — The Singapore Police Force announced yesterday that they are still actively pursuing Malaysian fugitive Low Taek Jho, known as Jho Low, in connection with the multibillion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Board (1MDB) corruption scandal.
According to a Straits Times report, Singapore police said, in a statement, that Low’s agreement with the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) to settle civil actions against him and his family does not affect its ongoing criminal investigations against him and his associates.
“Our Interpol red notice against him remains in effect,” stated the police, referring to the international request to locate and provisionally arrest a person.
To date, Singapore authorities have obtained court orders to release approximately S$103 million (RM481.6 million) in 1MDB-linked funds to the Malaysian government.
An additional S$164 million in 1MDB-related assets remain seized or prohibited from disposal in Singapore, including about S$101 million linked to Low and his family.
“The police, together with the Attorney General’s Chambers, are collaborating with our foreign counterparts to return these assets to Malaysia in accordance with the settlement agreement between Low, his family members, and the US DoJ, and in compliance with our laws,” the Singapore police were quoted as saying.
On June 26, the DoJ announced it will recover an additional US$100 million to resolve two civil forfeiture cases. The assets involved include artworks by Andy Warhol and Claude Monet, cash in bank accounts in Hong Kong, Switzerland, and Singapore, and properties in Singapore and other locations.
On June 28, a media report revealed that the DoJ had signed a confidential agreement in early June with Low regarding the forfeiture of 1MDB assets. The agreement is part of a global settlement aimed at concluding an extensive asset forfeiture campaign.
The report claimed that the DOJ reached the agreement with Low’s family lawyers and financial trustees, which involves surrendering assets previously identified by authorities.
The 1MDB scandal, which the DOJ once labelled the world’s largest kleptocracy case, led to the imprisonment of former Malaysian prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
