KUALA LUMPUR: Efforts to bring back fugitive financier Low Taek Jho or Jho Low (pic) should be made without delay, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
The Alliance for a Safe Community chairman said justice would only be served once Jho Low had been successfully brought back to Malaysia.
“The authorities must take the necessary steps (to ensure Jho Low answers for his crimes).
“Justice delayed is justice denied. Therefore, justice must not only be served, but it must be seen to be served,” he said yesterday.
Former inspector-general of police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said the process to extradite Jho Low should be done as soon as possible.
“It (the process) should be concluded sooner rather than later, as this matter has dragged on for quite some time.
“If the government has begun negotiations to bring him back, extradition is the proper method.
“Those linked to Jho Low have been prosecuted, thus it is prudent for him to ‘face the music’,” Musa added.
Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) acting chief executive officer Pushpan Murugiah said the government must make bringing back Jho Low its top priority as all evidence pointed to his central role in orchestrating one of Malaysia’s biggest corruption cases ever, one that crossed international borders.
“He must be brought back to face charges. The world is watching to see the commitment and sincerity of the government in repatriating him, especially after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim promised to stamp out corruption.
“The 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal impoverished Malaysians and undermined our trust in institutions, so we all wish to see justice served,” he said.
He added that bringing Jho Low to justice would show the government’s seriousness in combating corruption and, more importantly, prove that the wheels of justice were working.
Malaysians Against Rape, Assault and Snatch Thief (Marah) founder Dave Avran said that with sizeable funds at his disposal, Jho Low was using it to mock the nation’s judicial system.
“Instead of seeking a settlement for the alleged crimes he is claimed to have committed in Malaysia and the United States in connection with 1MDB, Jho Low should come back to defend himself.
“He should come back to Malaysia to defend himself in court if he feels he is innocent and has any remaining dignity, not flee and hide,” he said.
Instead of a settlement or admission of guilt, Avran said Jho Low should answer for his alleged crimes.
“The 1MDB saga has gone on far too long, and it is time to bring the culprit to justice,” he added.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani had said that investigations into Jho Low’s involvement in the 1MDB case would continue until he was successfully returned to the country.
He said the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) were working to bring back the fugitive businessman.
“Jho Low was charged under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 in 2018, although he did not appear (in court).
“The police had indeed opened an investigation paper, and if the subject (Jho Low) can be returned to Malaysia, of course we will pursue the charges,” he said after attending the Ops Selamat Best Contingent and District Award in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri in Bukit Aman here yesterday.
On May 5, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government was negotiating with overseas authorities to secure the return of Low but refused to confirm the whereabouts of the fugitive businessman.
According to Anwar, the process was complicated because it involved another country, intelligence services and Interpol.
