US Ambassador: Jho Low should clear his name

by Theleaders-Online | July 6, 2019 1:58 am

GEORGE TOWN: Fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, popularly known as Jho Low, should return to Malaysia or the US to clear his name of money laundering charges linked to the 1MDB.

US Ambassador to Malaysia Kamala Shirin Lakhdir said this to reporters at the Equatorial Hotel in Penang yesterday.

Kamala added that the US Department of Justice (DoJ) and Malaysia are working closely on the investigation involving the scandal-plagued 1MDB.

“The US began to get involved when we discovered a nexus of money trails through the US financial institutions. So, we decided to investigate,” she said, adding that the US will return assets stolen from Malaysia by 1MDB.

According to Kamala, the 1MDB scandal is a complex case with far reaching global connections from Singapore to US and Switzerland as well as other nations.

Last year, Jho Low and two other bankers were indicted last year by the DoJ for conspiring to launder money and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

He is also wanted by Putrajaya over his alleged role in the scandal, which is said to be the largest of its kind in the world, due to the amount of money involved – allegedly some RM42 billion.

Yesterday, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s stepson, Riza Aziz, claimed trial to five counts of money laundering charges of funds allegedly belonging to 1MDB.[1]

The charges, all under the Section 4 (1) (a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001, were read out in front of Sessions Court judge Rozina Ayob.

If found guilty, Riza faces a fine of not more than RM5 million or a five-year jail sentence, or both.

Riza pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Source URL: https://theleaders-online.com/us-ambassador-jho-low-should-clear-his-name/

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