Jho Low proclaims innocence on personal website

Penang-born business man, Low Taek Jho, who is accused of looting billions from Malaysian investment fund 1MDB, is proclaiming his innocence on his website.

Wanted in Malaysia and Singapore and described by U.S. prosecutors as orchestrating the theft of $4.5 billion from 1MDB, Low has once again declared his innocence on his website, denouncing what he called “unproven allegations.”

“With hindsight I may have done things differently, like any young person, but any mistakes I made do not amount to the sweepingly broad and destructive allegations being made against me,” Low, 36, said in a signed letter on the site. “Let me be clear: I am innocent.”

Low, whose whereabouts are unknown, is described on the website as a “global philanthropist, investor and entrepreneur.”

He has been charged in absentia in Malaysia with money laundering, and Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has called on Low to return to the Southeast Asian country to help with the probe.

“I have been paraded in effigy through the streets of Kuala Lumpur and have photographs from my younger days plastered in tabloids across the globe,” Low wrote.

“I only ask that everyone – courts, prosecutors and the general public – keep an open mind until all of the evidence comes to light.”

According to his signed letter, his goal is to provide a “balanced view” of the allegations he is facing, noting that the website will “bring to light these facts and provide the true story that has been suppressed for so long.”

Low previously resided in Macau, after staying in Hong Kong for two months, as neither Malaysia nor Singapore had requested his arrest from the region.

“It has become clear that there is no platform where objective information can be presented regarding this issue – and no jurisdiction that hasn’t been poisoned by gossip, innuendo, and unproven allegations,” Low added in his letter.

Malaysian officials said last month that its government may know the whereabouts of the wanted businessman, yet did not disclose further details. 

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal cited sources saying Low had been living freely in China despite the Interpol red notice.

Malaysia has applied for an Interpol red notice to seek assistance from the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, India, Myanmar, China and Hong Kong to detain Low.