SingaporeDaily, Sept 20 — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been imprisoned since 2022 after being convicted of corruption and money laundering related to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) sovereign wealth fund, which he helped establish.

According to Malaysian and U.S. investigators, fugitive financier Jho Low is accused of helping Najib orchestrate a complex global scheme to embezzle approximately US$4.5 billion from Malaysian taxpayers through 1MDB.

Jho Low, who has consistently maintained his innocence, previously held citizenships in Cyprus and the Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, both of which have since been revoked.

The investigative media outlet Brazen, founded by former Wall Street Journal reporters Bradley Hope and Tom Wright — both of whom played a key role in exposing the 1MDB scandal — claimed during a recent YouTube livestream that Jho Low is currently residing in a luxury residential complex called Yunjian Green Land in Shanghai, China.

“He’s living lavishly, driving luxury cars. His family travels outside China. This guy is essentially a supervillain. He’s absolutely not under house arrest. He moves freely — which is unheard of for someone using fake documents,” Wright said during the livestream.

Hope added that Jho Low is allegedly working as an advisor to the Chinese government, helping major Chinese firms navigate dealings with the U.S. He also revealed that Low is using a fake Australian passport, with the name bearing a Greek alias.

In response to the report, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Saturday that he had not received any official confirmation regarding Jho Low’s alleged residence in China.

“I have no information; we have not received anything. Let me check. I read about it [in the media]. I need to verify with the Home Minister,” Anwar said, adding that he plans to work with Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution to investigate the matter.

Jho Low has been on the run since 2015, with reported sightings in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. Chinese authorities have denied that he is currently in China.

The 1MDB scandal has triggered legal actions across multiple countries. In August 2022, Najib was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million (approx. US$45 million). U.S. authorities fined Goldman Sachs US$1.6 billion for facilitating the misuse of much of the US$6.5 billion raised through 1MDB bonds. Other countries, including Singapore and the UAE, have also prosecuted and jailed bankers and officials involved.

In 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice reached a settlement with Jho Low to recover approximately US$1 billion in assets allegedly stolen from 1MDB. However, he remains wanted by U.S. authorities for his role in the fraud. Both Malaysian and Singaporean authorities have reiterated their commitment to apprehending him.

In 2018, Indonesian authorities seized Jho Low’s superyacht, Equanimity, purchased with 1MDB funds. The vessel was later sold for US$126 million, and the proceeds were returned to the Malaysian government.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has contacted the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for comment on the matter.

The issue of passport fraud is particularly sensitive in Australia. In 2010, after Israeli intelligence agency Mossad used fake Australian passports to assassinate a senior Hamas leader in Dubai, Australia expelled an Israeli diplomat. In 2023, Australia introduced its highly secure R-series passports, which DFAT says are designed to be far more difficult to forge.