KUALA LUMPUR (May 31): Fugitive financier Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) is believed to be under house arrest in Shanghai.
In a tweet on May 30, American journalist Bradley Hope said Jho Low was in Macau a lot from 2015 to 2018, as well as in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Thailand, but after then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s electoral defeat, Jho Low’s movements were restricted to the Chinese mainland.
“We at Whale Hunting believe he’s under house arrest in Shanghai," he said.
Hope added that China is holding Jho Low on a tight leash because of negotiations with Malaysia but also because his patrons in the spy services (Sun Lijun — a former Chinese politician and police officer) are arrested and business partners at China Communications Construction ousted.
"He went from an intelligence asset to a liability after Najib was voted out," said Hope.
Hope also posed a question to the Malaysian government: “What crime in your legal code for a prime minister conspiring with a foreign power to sacrifice national interest/sovereignty and overpay contracts using state money in exchange for covering up a massive fraud?”
Separately, the lawyer for the family of Kee Kok Thiam, a former aide to Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), informed that Kee died at a hospital due to a massive stroke.
Messrs Valen, Oh and Partners said they represented Kee and his family, and referred to the various media articles on Kee’s passing away and the circumstances.
“Kee died on May 29 (Monday) in a hospital of a sudden massive stroke. We urge all parties not to entertain any speculation on this unfortunate event, and allow the family the space to grief on his passing,” the firm said.
It is understood that Kee suffered the stroke on Saturday, and was brought to the Sungai Buloh Hospital before he succumbed to it on Monday.