Malaysian fugitive businessman Tedy Teow to be deported to China, say Thai cops

Teow Wooi Huat after his arrest in Thailand.

BANGKOK: Malaysian fugitive businessman Tedy Teow Wooi Huat is expected to be deported to China soon, though Malaysian police had requested for his repatriation as well.

Assistant national police chief Pol Lt-Gen Surachate Hakparn said this during a press conference at the Royal Thai Police Headquarters in Bangkok, Friday (Sept 2).

ALSO READ: Both Malaysia and China vying to have fugitive Tedy Teow brought in for questioning

"Now, he (Teow) is under the custody of Immigration Police and (we are) preparing to send him to China," he said.

Malaysia and China were after Teow who was on the Interpol Red Notice list for questioning.

Teow was under Thai Immigration Police custody after his visa was revoked on July 22, and since then he had been awaiting deportation by the Thai authorities.

On July 25, the Royal Malaysia Police said it was in the process of applying for Teow to be repatriated to Malaysia to assist in investigations under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.

ALSO READ: Malaysian businessman Tedy Teow expected to be deported to China on July 26

Beijing police also reportedly wanted him for questioning following a suit filed by about 400 investors from China to recover investments worth some RM100mil.

On Aug 9, Teow was supposed to be repatriated to Malaysia but was stopped at the airport as Thai authorities also received an extradition request from the Chinese government.

The 55-year-old Teow founded the MBI Group and operated entertainment complexes, including a resort in Danok at the Thailand-Malaysia border, and also built a business empire from dubious online investment schemes that attracted investors from China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Macau.

In 2017, Teow was arrested by Malaysian authorities on drug charges but he bolted to Thailand and escaped the death penalty.

ALSO READ: Police apply to repatriate ex-fugitive Teow from Thai custody

In 2019, about 100 Chinese nationals claimed that they had been cheated by an online pyramid scheme operated by MBI staged a peaceful protest outside the Chinese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

The same year, Malaysian authorities froze 91 bank accounts totalling RM177mil linked to MBI Group International. Bank Negara had listed MBI as a company running a dubious financial scheme. - Bernama