Fugitive Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, is believed to be living in luxury in Shanghai’s high-security Green Hills neighbourhood, according to claims by investigative journalists Bradley Hope and Tom Wright.
In a recent livestream titled Finding Jho Low, the duo alleged that Low is residing in China under a fake identity, using a forged Australian passport bearing the name ‘Constantinos Achilles Veis’.
The news has renewed global interest in Low’s whereabouts, particularly since he is still on the run despite being the main suspect in one of the world’s biggest financial scandals.
Wanted Since 2015 in the $4.5 Billion 1MDB Scam
Low has been on the run since 2015, having been implicated in 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fraud. The Strait Times says he was investigated by the authorities for allegedly facilitating the theft of more than $4.5 billion from the Malaysian state investment fund. In 2018, Interpol put out a Red Notice against him. He is wanted now by both Malaysian and US authorities.
A Life Funded by Stolen Money
Prosecutors allege Low funded his lavish lifestyle using 1MDB money, spending it on luxury properties in the U.S., artwork, a private plane, and a superyacht. He was also making news for his Hollywood connections, including a close friend in actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
Low has been accused of funding Martin Scorsese’s 2013 movie The Wolf of Wall Street with embezzled funds. According to Variety, the U.S. Department of Justice later verified this link. DiCaprio, not knowing where the money was coming from at the time, had even expressed his gratitude to Low in his 2014 Golden Globes acceptance speech.
Hope and Wright, both erstwhile Wall Street Journal reporters and writers of bestseller Billion Dollar Whale, say Low currently works unobtrusively in China. From newly received documents and sources within, they accused him of serving as a clandestine strategist for the Chinese government. He is said to be advising Chinese companies, especially those subject to global sanctions, on how best to circumvent global financial sanctions.
Malaysia Awaits Official Confirmation
In response to these new allegations, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated that the government was yet to receive any confirmation of Low’s supposed presence in China. “I don’t have information; we are yet to receive anything. Let me check. I’ve read [the media reports]. I need to check with the Home Minister,” he said, quoting The Star, while attending an event in Penang.
