Fugitive financier Jho Low insists he was not ‘mastermind’ of Malaysia’s 1MDB corruption scandal
- Low said the Malaysian government has victimised him and his family, ignoring ‘basic human rights and fair judicial processes’
- He declined to divulge his current location but confirmed he was offered asylum in August last year. He did not name the country offering asylum
Low, or Jho Low as he is popularly known, has consistently denied wrongdoing and says the charges against him are politically motivated.
“People and companies act as introducers or intermediaries all the time,” Low said in an interview with Singapore’s Straits Times. “This is not a unique situation. I was requested to assist because of my good relationships with influential foreign businessmen and decision makers.”
A spokesman for Low did not immediately respond to a request for additional comments.
To a question on why he has remained on the run, Low said the Malaysian government has victimised him and his family, ignoring “basic human rights and fair judicial processes” by branding him as the mastermind behind the scandal.
“The idea that I am some kind of ‘mastermind’ is just wrong,” he said. “The inordinate amount of media scrutiny on me compared to that placed on the global financial and other institutions and advisers that actually organised and facilitated the fundraisings at issue is astounding. The reality is that I am an easy target.”
