GEORGE TOWN: Despite being Malaysia’s most wanted man now, Jho Low was a humble and nice bloke during his days in Penang, said a childhood friend of his.
Kebun Bunga assemblyman Jason Ong Khan Lee (pic), 42, said he knew him back when Low was just a toddler.
“We were neighbours. He is five years younger than me. I saw him growing up. My parents know his parents personally and we would play together in the old days.
“His father used to bring us out to swim. And I visited his house quite often,” said the PKR elected representative after giving out hampers to residents at Rifle Range flats yesterday.
Although both of them went to different schools, Ong said they became best friends.
“He went to SJKC Union, which is also his mother’s alma mater while I attended Penang Chinese Girls’ Primary School. He continued his secondary education in Chung Ling High School and was later transferred to an international school.
“We went our different ways when both of us furthered our studies in different countries. That was when we had less time to stay in touch, but once in a while, I would get updates about him from our other close friends.”
“I last saw him in 2013 before the general election. As far as I know, he never came back to Penang since then.
“Last year, I met his mother and we had a short chat but I was hesitant to ask of his whereabouts as he was a ‘sensitive figure’,” he said.
Ong, who got married in 2009 during his first term as the assemblyman, said Low’s parents were invited to his wedding ceremony but not Low as he did not want to put Low in an awkward position.
“I was a PKR assemblyman then while he was already quite close to Najib (former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) and Barisan Nasional. I didn’t invite him but I think he understood my decision,” he added.
Commenting on the Government’s probe into 1MDB, Ong, who is also a lawyer, advised Low to return to assist in the probe.
“As a friend and a lawyer, I would advise him to come back. It is hard for him to avoid it as 1MDB is a high profile case in Malaysia and internationally.
“The Interpol has been alerted. If Low is put in the no-fly list, it will be even harder for him to escape the probe. So it is better if he comes back. I would also advise him to get the best lawyer,” he added.
Ong urged the public not to jump to conclusions and not to “convict” Low in a trial by social media.
“Let him have his say and let the rule of law decide on his fate,” he said.
It was reported that the authorities want to bring Low back, who is at the centre of the debt-laden and scandal-ridden 1MDB, to assist in investigations.
Low has been identified as the mastermind behind 1MDB, which is the subject of investigations by Malaysian as well as international authorities for alleged corruption and money laundering.
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