Malaysia rejected Jho Low's bids to reach a settlement: Report
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KUALA LUMPUR • Malaysia's attorney-general rejected attempts by financier Jho Low to reach a settlement in the 1MDB scandal, the New Straits Times reported.
Low, through his representatives, met several government agencies, including the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), on the settlement earlier this year, the newspaper cited the AGC as saying in a statement. The AGC rejected all the offers, it said, without providing a reason for the dismissal.
Low is wanted in connection with scandals involving 1MDB, and he is accused of stealing US$1.42 billion (S$2 billion) from three bond transactions that Goldman Sachs Group arranged for the Malaysian wealth fund.
He offered the Malaysian government US$337 million to settle charges against him, the Edge newspaper reported last Friday, citing sources it did not identify.
While Low has denied any wrongdoing, US prosecutors struck a deal in 2020 with him to recoup almost US$700 million worth of assets, including a Beverly Hills hotel and real estate in New York and London. That was in addition to US$260 million of assets, including a US$126 million superyacht, seized earlier on Malaysia's behalf.
Low remains at large.
Malaysian police were reported as saying in April that they were still trying to determine Low's whereabouts as they intended to bring him back to the country to answer for his involvement in the scandal.
Malaysian Member of Parliament Hassan Abdul Karim said yesterday that Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun should have brought the fugitive businessman back to Malaysia to be tried.
He applauded the decision by Mr Idrus and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to abort the series of meetings with Low's legal team, saying it was the right move to make.
"How can there be a bargain between Jho Low and the Malaysian government? Can the justice system in Malaysia be traded for the RM1.5 billion (S$471.8 million) offer from him?" said Mr Hassan, who is MP for Pasir Gudang in Johor.
In a statement yesterday, Mr Hassan asked if Low is now trying to bribe the Malaysian government.
Mr Hassan added that Low should return and face the charges in court if he believes he is innocent, instead of hiding in other countries.
BLOOMBERG, THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
