IGP Guarantees Jho Low’s Safety if He Returns

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Low told to face trial as he can’t run forever.

The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) have given Jho Low an assurance that he will be safe to return to the country to go through the legal process.

  • Whereabouts of Low and Faisal known
  • No James Bond style of smuggling Low out of the country where he is hiding
  • Police got “a lot of things” from the Deloitte raid

Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Abdul Hamid Bador said the claim that the controversial businessman who was allegedly involved in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal would be arrested, tortured and murdered if he returns were not true at all.

He said the assurance that he would be safe was not only given to Low but also to his family and friends who were allegedly involved in the scandal.

“There are laws in Malaysia, come back if you are innocent and do not use lawyers to make statements or denials.

“They (Low and friends) can come back with the best lawyers to defend them…don’t waste our time, they cannot run forever,” he told reporters after launching the Op Selamat 15/2019 in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri today.

He said the police are receiving assistance from foreign intelligence and enforcement agencies in the matter of Low’s whereabouts.

“Just be patient. We will bring them back.”

He stressed that the police knew where Low was but would not reveal the information to the media.

He also refused to say if the fugitive was hiding in China.

“We know where Jho Low and his friends are hiding and police are making use of all available resources, including working with the authorities overseas to track down Jho Low.”

Mukhriz Hazim

Not mincing his words, the nation’s top cop said Low’s move to hide behind lawyers in Macau and Hong Kong when making statements was nothing short of cowardice.

“We also know where the director of SRC International Sdn Bhd (SRC International) Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil Nik Othman Arif Kamil is,” he said.

He said his “premature” expose on the whereabouts of Faisal prevented him from fleeing to a certain country.

“Remember the day I revealed there was an effort to hide him (Faisal) somewhere and an effort to migrate him to a certain country? It didn’t happen because it was prematurely exposed by me,” Hamid told reporters.

However, he said despite the change of plans, the police were aware of Faisal’s present whereabouts.

Asked if he was in Indonesia, Hamid said “no” but Faisal’s second wife was there.

“He was there once but now he is somewhere else and we know where he is hiding,” he said.

At a press conference in August 2015, Hamid revealed there were attempts to hide key witnesses in the SRC International case “with the assistance of some people in power”.

Hamid, who was then the Special Branch deputy director, aimed that one of the witnesses was hiding in New Zealand after having been in Indonesia and Thailand.

Faisal is a key witness sought in the ongoing SRC International trial involving former prime minister Najib Razak.

He had been named by witnesses in the trial as the person who had control of Najib’s AmBank accounts, into which a sum of RM42 million was allegedly credited to.

However, efforts to bring him home to testify have not been successful as authorities investigating the case since 2015 have not been able to interview him.

Hamid said since he took over the post of IGP early this month, he had given priority to the 1MDB case.

“That (1MDB case) is my priority, we have to settle this 1MDB as soon as possible,” he said.

Hamid said while the investigations into the 1MDB scandal were ongoing, his main focus was to bring Low and his six right-hand men out from hiding.

“There is no way and nowhere they can hide.

“The sooner justice is delivered, the better for them. If they think they are innocent, prove it in Malaysian courts.”

When asked if it would be possible for police to smuggle Low, who is believed to be hiding in China, out of the country, Hamid said: “That is James Bond country.”

“We can invoke Amla (Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001) and seek assistance.

“But doing James Bond style by breaking the law of that country doesn’t augur well with our approach.

Bernama

“We are not going to do that. We are going to do it the proper, legal and transparent way,” he added.

Commenting on the raid on audit firm Deloitte Malaysia yesterday, Hamid said police were gathering documents believed to be connected to the investigations into the embezzlement of 1MDB funds.

He, however, said that he had not been briefed on the raid by the investigators.

“Surely, I think that (the) mission at Deloitte was to search for certain documents and to check on the records of their dealings, dating in relations to the 1MDB case.

“I believe that they (raiding team) have gotten something out of that…but I have not been briefed yet.

“I believe there are a lot of things that they got from that so-called raid,” he said.

On a separate matter, Hamid said officers who reject bribes could be promoted or given recommendation letters, depending on the case.

He added that he is serious about eradicating corruption in his force.

He also urged his officers not to continue ties with those behind illegal gambling dens.

“I have told my officers that as long as they are not in handcuffs yet, stop their activities and come back to the right path,” he said.

Owners of illegal gambling dens should also cease their activities and do something else, he added.

“Our country is so rich in natural resources. Why not do some legitimate business?”