AGC confirms rejecting Jho Low’s settlement offer
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) today confirmed that fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho had attempted to reach a settlement with the government over the charges against him.
However, all settlement offers from Jho Low were rejected by the AGC.
The AGC said the offers were...
UPDATED 6.04PM | Added Apandi’s response.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) today confirmed that fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho had attempted to reach a settlement with the government over the charges against him.
However, all settlement offers from Jho Low were rejected by the AGC.
The AGC said the offers were made through an unnamed representative.
“In these attempts, Low’s representative had met with several government agencies, including the AGC.
“All settlement offers made by Jho’s representative were rejected by the AGC,” it said in a statement.
The Edge reported yesterday that Low, 40, also known as Jho Low allegedly offered RM1.5 billion to the government to settle charges against him.
The report also claimed that former attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali was representing Low in negotiations with the government.
Apandi later confirmed in a statement that Low’s lawyers approached him to arrange meetings between them and the AGC.
“The purpose of the meetings was to discuss the repatriation of monies allegedly siphoned by Jho Low from 1MDB,” he said.
Low is the alleged mastermind behind the 1MDB scandal and has been charged in absentia in US and Malaysian courts.
He is currently at large and his whereabouts are not publicly known despite police efforts to track him down and extradite him. It is believed that he is in China.
In 2018, the US Department of Justice charged Low with conspiracy to launder billions of dollars from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, and conspiracy to violate the American Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
In Malaysia, he and his associates are facing five money-laundering charges amounting to US$1.03 billion.
He also faces a separate charge money -laundering charge with his aide Eric Tan Kim Loong for US$125.97 million.
In 2020, the MACC brought another charge against Low and his associates, this time allegedly engaging in a criminal conspiracy to enable former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak to use his position to receive a bribe totalling RM60,629,839.43.
Low repeatedly claimed he was innocent and said in a 2020 interview that he was merely an intermediary in 1MDB’s dealings.
