With the release of ‘Billion Dollar Whale’ and ‘The Sarawak Report: The Inside Story of The 1MDB Exposé’, public interest in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal is now at an all-time high. People are beginning to understand the sheer scale of this financial scandal, widely believed to be orchestrated by infamous Malaysian businessman, Low Taek Jho (aka Jho Low).
Now, in light of interest surrounding Jho Low, former Chairman of the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) Tun Daim Zainuddin has stated that the businessman actually contacted him. He was quoted by Malaysiakini as saying,
“I don’t know what role he’s playing. I said why don’t you come back and discuss with me first. With the assets, he said he can help us to get back the assets and give us one or two names (of people involved). I said (to ask) them to come to see me.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
On top of that, Jho Low had reportedly even requested for immunity in exchange for locating assets linked to 1MDB. However, Daim rejected this request.
“I told him ‘no’. If he wants to help, better come back (to Malaysia) first so that we can discuss. He claimed he is innocent, so if you are innocent you come back here. Why you are running away?”
Adding on to that, Daim also claimed that there were moles in the civil service and even enforcement agencies who were helping Jho Low avoid the authorities. Despite Interpol issuing a red notice against him, Jho Low has been able to evade capture until today.
The former CEP Chairman told Channel NewsAsia that he interviewed more than 300 individuals as part of investigations into government finances, and he found that there was a prevalent culture of ignoring blatant corruption.
Source: Utusan Online
Judging by the scale of this financial scandal, Daim added that he also believes that Jho Low did not work alone, stating that the businessman probably handsomely paid advisors to get away with it.
“He has his people everywhere – using taxpayers’ money. He was able to hire the best lawyers in town. I was told he spent more than US$40 million (approx. RM166.2 million) on legal fees alone.”
Speaking at the recent Cooler Lumpur festival, Wall Street Journal (WSJ) yesterday (7th October), journalist and author of bestseller ‘Billion Dollar Whale’ Tom Wright also pointed out how extensively Jho Low has been utilising his legal team, as hundreds of legal letters were sent to bookstores across the United Kingdom, including Amazon, to prevent Wright’s book from going on sale.
What are your thoughts on Daim Zainuddin’s statement? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: Jho Low Just Made A Website to Show Documents Proving His Innocence
