Mahathir unaware of arrest, hopes China will surrender Low

Mahathir Mohamad salutes during this week’s opening of the 14th parliament session in Kuala Lumpur

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday that he hopes China will surrender wanted businessman Low Taek Jho, more commonly known as Jho Low, who is believed by some to have entered the mainland from Macau.

Low is wanted in connection with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal that saw billions of U.S. dollars disappear. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission believes he played a central role in the laundering of public money from the sovereign wealth fund.

Earlier this week, Malaysian tabloid China Press reported that Low had been arrested in China.

Mahathir said he was unaware of reports suggesting Low had been apprehended by mainland authorities, but said that if they were true, he hoped China would hand Low over to Malaysia.

“I hope he was arrested and [will be] brought back to Malaysia,” he said, as cited by Channel NewsAsia. “We have no treaty on extradition but that doesn’t mean China cannot hand him over.”

Reports of Low having been spotted in various cities across Asia have popped up in recent months, including across Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, Bangkok and Phuket.

Mahathir is planning to visit China’s President Xi Jinping next month, when the issue of Low may be raised.