KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 19): The Taiwan Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau is investigating fugitive financier Low Taek Jho’s (Jho Low) company registered in that island state.
In their Search for Jho Low episode 8, Project Brazen co-founders Bradley Hope and Tom Wright were joined by Taipei-based journalist Chris Horton, who has been tracking Jho Low’s financial activities on the ground in Taiwan — including paying a visit to his registered office.
Project Brazen is a global journalism studio and production company specialising in fact-based narratives.
Jho Low went on the run in 2016 after the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal blew up.
Horton said the personnel at the Taiwan "instant office" last Dec 21 could not provide much details due to privacy laws but they did confirm that the company registered to Jho Low (Bright Vision Investment) had been there and moved out.
In Taiwan, instant offices are available for rent, offering office spaces to specifications 24 hours a day, with individualised secretarial services that are professional and efficient that control time and space.
Investigation
Horton said he got in touch with the Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs, and by that afternoon the Investigation Bureau of Taiwan announced they were investigating Jho Low's company.
“So it does seem like attention has been brought to the company.
"Any major transaction involving that company will be scrutinised, but the thing with investigations in Taiwan is once something is under probe then the government says very little or anything about it, other than it will not comment until the investigation is completed," he said.
Horton said it was really difficult to say where things would go from as it stood now but added that it did establish convincingly that after the 1MDB scandal became public, Jho Low did go to Taiwan.
He added that the the last corporate action for Jho Low’s Taiwanese company was the removal of his wife Jesselynn Chuan from the board of directors in 2019.
Horton said Jho Low had most certainly gone to Taiwan as the law of that country required company officials to be physically present to register their entities.
He said Taiwan could have been a safe haven choice for Jho Low as the island state has no extradition treaties with most other major countries.