If reports are true, Dr Mahathir hopes Jho Low will be brought back to Malaysia.
Unconfirmed reports have surfaced claiming that Jho Low has been arrested in China.
However, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he is not aware of the arrest.
“I don’t know. Thank you for giving me the information. I hope he has been arrested,” Mahathir told reporters in Parliament this morning when quizzed on the reported arrest.
“All I know is that he is jumping from place to place to avoid arrest. If it’s true that he has been arrested, we must find out what for by the Chinese authorities.”
Asked if Malaysia and China had an extradition treaty, Mahathir replied: “No, but they can always give him back to us.”
News of the arrest comes amid Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) chairperson Daim Zainuddin’s official visit to China, where he met Chinese Prime Minister Li KeQiang.
Meanwhile, Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Haron said Bukit Aman has not received any information regarding the arrest and was in the process of verifying the information.
“I don’t have the information. I will check,” he said.
In February, former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Malaysia has an extradition treaty with China when commenting on Beijing’s request to Putrajaya to extradite 11 ethnic Uighur Muslims who were reported to have been arrested in Malaysia.
Yesterday, Sarawak Report quoted an unnamed Hong Kong radio station as claiming that Chinese authorities have detained Low.
On July 11, South China Morning Post said Low had fled to mainland China from Macau, either by car or by a private jet.
Prior to that, the 37-year-old businessperson had run to Macau as Malaysian police closed in on him in Hong Kong.
Reportedly, Low’s arrest will only be announced during Dr Mahathir’s trip to China next month.
Earlier reports:
Jul 12, In Pursuit of Jho Low Across the Globe
Jul 11, Jho Low Fled to China
Jul 11, Jho Low Fled Macau, No Idea of His Whereabouts
Jul 10, Police Formally Seek Macau’s Help to Arrest Jho Low
Jul 8, Jho Low “Stayed in Upscale HK Apartments Before Macau Trip”
Jul 5, Jho Low Evaded Police in HK, Now in Macau
Jul 4, Jho Low’s Passport Cancelled
Jul 3, MACC Won’t Meet Jho Low in Dubai
Jun 12, Jho Low Believed to be Hiding in Macau