Jho Low charged in absentia again with money laundering over 1MDB

Located in the coveted Bird Streets on a pie-shaped promontory known as the Crown, the 1.2-acre complex was famously owned by Jho Low.

KUALA LUMPUR: Fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, has been charged in absentia again with offences involving 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). 

This time, he was charged at the Sessions Court on Tuesday (Dec 4) with four other individuals central to the investigation on 1MDB.

Low was charged with five charges under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 (Amla). 

The five offences involved him allegedly receiving US$1.03bil (RM4.13bil) from 1MDB through his company Good Star Ltd. 

Low also faced two other joint charges with Tan Kim Loong, 40, under the same Act involving US$1.26mil (RM5.21mil). 

Another individual, Tang Keng Chee, 53, who was a 1MDB officer, faced three charges. 

He was charged with two counts under Section 4(1)(a) of the Amla for allegedly receiving US$6.7mil (RM27.7mil). 

Tang was also charged with one charge of criminal breach of trust under Section 409 of the Penal Code for transferring US$700mil (RM2.89bil) from 1MDB to Good Star Ltd.

Former general counsel of 1MDB, Loo Ai Swan, 45, was charged with two counts under Section 4(1)(a) of the Amla for receiving US$6mil (RM24.8mil). 

The fifth individual, Geh Choh Heng, 47, faced one charge of criminal breach of trust under Section 409 of the Penal Code for allegedly transferring US$125mil (RM516.5mil) from 1MDB to Good Star Ltd. 

Geh was then the executive director of finance for 1MDB. 

All of the offences were allegedly committed between September 2009 and July 2014. 

A source told The Star that the charges were filed on Tuesday morning against Low and the four individuals in absentia by the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) with the consent of the Attorney General’s Chambers.

"The police applied for arrest warrants for all five individuals after the criminal charges were filed and the magistrate’s court issued the warrants,” the source said.

In August, the police filed criminal charges against Low and his father over money allegedly stolen from 1MDB.

In that case, Low was slapped with eight counts of money laundering.