This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on August 14, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: Since Interpol issued its red notice to arrest fugitives Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) and Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil on June 11 last year, efforts to track down the duo have yielded no results.

In his testimony during his examination-in-chief by Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Ishak Mohd Yusoff, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) senior assistant commissioner Rosli Hussain told the High Court here that the red notice was put up in several countries where the MACC suspected the fugitives could be, including in Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar and China.

Rosli said the Hong Kong authorities were also notified of the cancellation of Jho Low’s passport, enabling the authorities there to arrest him on illegal entry through customs there.

The red notice is still in force, said Rosli, the 57th prosecution witness, adding that Jho Low’s passport was cancelled on June 14, 2018, and Nik Faisal’s on July 25, 2018.

Earlier, Rosli told the High Court that Jho Low left Malaysia via the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport on May 29, 2015. Nik Faisal left the country through the KLIA on May 7 last year, two days before the 14th general election, which saw a change in the country’s government.

Rosli said both individuals have not returned to the country since then.

Rosli said the MACC recorded  Jho Low’s statement in Abu Dhabi on Nov 27, 2015, and Nik Faisal’s statement twice in Jakarta in October 2015.

“As both of them made their statements and gave their commitments, my team and I were confident that they would return to Malaysia to cooperate in the case. This is why we did not put both of them under bail,” said the witness.

Rosli said the MACC issued a letter to Interpol dated May 24, 2018, naming Jho Low, Nik Faisal and other two individuals — Toh Lean Seng and Mohamad Redzuan Adamshah — for the red notice.

Rosli also confirmed that requests were sent to Interpol’s National Central Bureaus (NCB) in Bangkok, Thailand; Jakarta, Indonesia; Naw Pyi Tau, Myanmar; New Delhi, India; Macau; and Hong Kong to track the movements of Nik Faisal, Jho Low, Mohamad Redzuan and Toh.

The request was issued by the NCB in Bukit Aman.