Jho Low reportedly spotted in Wuhan

Malaysian fugitive financier Jho Low, whose Cypriot passport came under scrutiny last year, has been spotted in China’s Wuhan, a city under lockdown due to the Coronavirus.

According to foreign media, Malaysian authorities said Low has been spotted in the city of Wuhan, which is at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak.

Low Taek Jho, commonly known as Jho Low, was rumoured to have fled to other places in the past, including Cyprus, while Malaysian authorities later excluded the island as a possible hideout.

But it remained unclear whether Low was thought to have left Wuhan before the city went under lockdown due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Low is accused of defrauding billions from 1Malaysia Development Berhad fund founded by former Prime Minister Najib Razak.

He made headline news in Cyprus and around the world after it emerged that the fugitive financier had obtained Cypriot citizenship in 2015 through an expedited process as a foreign investor.

In a recent interview, Low told Singapore’s Straits Times, he confirmed rumours that he had been offered asylum in an unnamed country.

He also said he found media scrutiny of him to be “excessive” compared to global financial and other institutions, including advisers who actually organised and facilitated the fundraising in question.

Last year, state officials in the Republic of Cyprus said they started a denaturalization process for over two dozen investors, including Low, who had received the island’s passport through what is known as a golden visa for foreign investors.

Low says he is on the run because Malaysian authorities branded him the mastermind behind the scandal, while he claims he was victimized just for using his professional connections around the world.