Why would Jho Low offer RM1.5 bil to M'sian govt if he is innocent, MP questions

Johor Bahru – Malaysian fugitive Low Taek Jho’s RM1.5 billion offer for Malaysia government to drop all cases regarding 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) proves that he is guilty of all charges, said an opposition MP.

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim said the decision of Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun and the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to reject the offer was right and precise.

“If he is innocent, why would he be willing to offer RM1.5 billion to the government in exchange for having his charges in Malaysian courts to be dropped?” Hassan said in a statement.

He said Jho Low must have thought that Malaysia’s justice system could be “bought and sold” and praised the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and the MACC for making the right decision by rejecting the offer.

But he questioned the reason of several rounds of negotiations before the rejection.

“Why wasn’t it rejected early on? Isn’t it the attorney-general’s duty to bring Low back to Malaysia for trial and to testify as a key witness in former prime minister Najib Razak’s trial?” he said.

On July 15, the AGC confirmed that Jho Low has reached out and other agencies through a representative to negotiate a settlement, but the AGC has rejected all offers. The Edge quoting had said that Jho Low was offering RM1.5 billion for the charges to be dropped.

Jho Low has not commented on the matter. He had previously claimed to be innocent and said in a 2020 interview that he was merely an intermediary in 1MDB’s dealings.

In 2018, Jho Low and his associates were charged with five money-laundering cases amounting to US$1.03 billion. He also faces a separate money-laundering charge with his aide Eric Tan Kim Loong for US$125.97 million.

In 2020, the MACC brought another charge against Jho Low and his associates for allegedly engaging in a criminal conspiracy to allow Najib to use his position to receive a bribe totaling RM60,629,839.43.