KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 2): The High Court may decide on Nov 18 whether to allow law firm Valen, Oh & Partners to discharge itself from representing Puan Sri Goh Gaik Ewe, who is Low Taek Jho (Jho Low)’s mother, one of six defendants named in the multi-billion dollar suit by 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
Judge Hayatul Akmal Abdul Aziz will listen to the firm’s application on that day.
The date of the hearing has been confirmed by 1MDB’s counsel Siva Kumar Kanagasabai from Skrine.
Valen, Oh & Partners had previously discharged itself from representing Jho Low and his father Tan Sri Larry Low Hock Peng in July.
The High Court through senior assistant registrar Haslinda A Raof on Wednesday (Nov 2) also allowed a six-month extension for the substitute service on Jho Low’s sister Low May Lin.
This came after Hayatul Akmal had at the last session allowed 1MDB to institute substitute service on May Lin, who is said to be based in Singapore.
Late last year, Valen, Oh & Partners was initially representing all three (Jho Low, Hock Peng and Goh) when they entered an appearance through the firm to the 1MDB suit filed in May 2021.
However, the firm had first discharged itself from representing Jho Low and Hock Peng after 1MDB obtained a Mareva injunction, or order to freeze their assets, against them. Last month, the court had also sentenced the duo to prison for contempt for not abiding by the Mareva injunction.
Jho Low, Hock Peng and Goh’s whereabouts are not known.
Then last month also, the law firm applied to discharge itself from representing Goh in the 1MDB suit where 1MDB and its four related companies are seeking a return of either US$1.695 million worth of jewellery or that sum.
1MDB along with 1MDB Energy Holdings Ltd, 1MDB Energy (Langat) Ltd, 1MDB Energy Ltd, and Global Diversified Investment Company Ltd filed the suit in May 2021, where it sought a total of US$3.78 billion from all six defendants.
Besides Jho Low, Hock Peng, Goh and May Lin, the other defendants in the multi-billion dollar suit are Eric Tan Kim Loong and Jho Low’s brother Taek Szen.