In first media interview in four years, Jho Low talks about his 1MDB role, political asylum, philanthropy… and cancer

Wanted Penang-born Low Taek Jho, known to the world as Jho Low and derisively “the billion dollar whale”, insists that he is not the mastermind of the alleged fraud of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) as portrayed publicly.

(MMO) – In his first interview with the media since fleeing Malaysia in 2015, the fugitive told The Straits Times that he is a convenient scapegoat in the multibillion-dollar global financial scandal by virtue of not being a politician.

“The reality is that I am an easy target for all of those above given the fact that I am not a politician,” he was quoted as saying to the Singapore daily in a question-and-answer style article published today, coinciding with the continuation of the first 1MDB-linked trial of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in connection with the sovereign investment fund’s ex-subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd.

He described himself as an “introducer and intermediary”, a cog in the wheel who had been “requested to assist” the governments of Malaysia and those in the Middle East purportedly due to his “good relationships with influential foreign businessmen and decision makers”. He did not disclose the identity of his requester, whether the person was Malaysian or otherwise.

“In the case of 1MDB and SRC, there were also international bankers, lawyers and other independent professionals that advised and supported the companies in their respective processes,” he said.

“With all of that in mind, the inordinate amount of media scrutiny on me compared to that placed on the global financial and other institutions and advisers that actually organised and facilitated the fundraisings at issue is astounding.”

Low again portrayed himself as a middleman, albeit one who “worked for the benefit of Malaysia and advanced Malaysia’s Government-to-Government connections with key allies”.

He described his role as a government intermediary as having helped to build relationships that have “directly or indirectly assisted Malaysia, including helping Malaysians that were stranded during the crisis in Egypt to get safely back home to Malaysia via Saudi Arabia; the increase in Haj quotas for Malaysian Muslims”, among others.

He painted bilateral ties between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia as at a “historic high” during the Najib administration.

“This was demonstrated by the many meetings and communications between former Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Razak and the then King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the then Saudi Minister of Finance.

“In one particular demonstration of the strength of the relationship with Malaysia, the Saudi government, arranged for an official envoy to fly to Subang airport for an in-person meeting with former Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Razak in Malaysia,” he claimed.

Low, at the centre of several international legal disputes regarding 1MDB, hailed a recent sweeping agreement reached with the US Department of Justice in its civil case against him as a “hugely positive development” and suggested that he may return to Malaysia to face the law at an indeterminate date.

“This settlement sets us on a new path forward. I am looking forward to the day when the political climate in Malaysia is such that I feel safe enough to return home and the rule of law will be respected so that the facts can be presented, and I can vigorously defend myself,” he was quoted as saying, repeating previous statements issued through his foreign publicists and repeated on his personal website set up after the fraud accusations were levied against him and his family who have also fled the country.

The man who remains just beyond the reach of Malaysian police who assert they have been blunted by foreign authorities despite knowing his location told The Straits Times that he had been offered asylum half a year ago but refused to disclose the nation’s name out of “serious personal safety concerns”.

“However, I can confirm that I was offered asylum in August 2019 by a country that acts in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights on the basis of the political persecution to which I have been subjected and the continuing violation of my human rights.”

He then went on a verbal attack against his home country, repeating his past accusations of the Pakatan Harapan government “ignoring the rule of law and pursuing a diversionary strategy in the media to distract from the real problems in Malaysia, such as racism, diminishing respect on the international stage, and others”.

Going forward, Low said he is now focusing his efforts on philanthropy “as someone who has had multiple brushes with cancer — devote substantial effort to investing in cutting-edge cancer research”.

He did not indicate if those cancer scares were diagnoses on himself or family or close friends.

“I would cherish the opportunity to reinvigorate my philanthropic efforts and to give back to the community and help others in any way I can.

“I am confident that when all is said and done, people will see me in a very different light to how I am portrayed now,” he was quoted as saying in the interview.

Like many of his cryptic emailed responses issued through his publicists, Low’s emailed interview with The Straits Times continued to evade many questions and throw up new ones concerning his role in 1MDB.