KUALA LUMPUR: Fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low and his father Tan Sri Larry Low Hock Peng were today sentenced to jail for contempt of court.
High Court Judge Hayatul Akmal Abdul Aziz issued the committal warrant and ordered the duo to pay RM5,000 in costs, after the father and son failed to comply with two injunction orders served on them recently.
The injunction required the duo and four others to disclose their whereabouts and their assets to the court, in the ongoing suit filed by 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MBD) and its subsidiary.
Previously, the court allowed 1MDB and its subsidiary Global Diversified Investment Company Ltd (formerly known as 1MDB Global Investment Ltd) to start contempt proceedings against Low and his father on Aug 12.
On March 16 this year, the father-and-son duo were served with Mareva injunction through their then solicitors, which effectively froze Low and his father's assets locally and abroad, pending the outcome of legal action before the court.
1MDB and its four other subsidiary had filed a statement of claim seeking a total of US$3.7 billion against the duo and four other defendants namely Jho Low's mother Puan Sri Goh Gaik Ewe, his sister May Lin, his brother Taek Szen and his business associate Eric Tan Kim Loong.
The companies are seeking a return of the funds received by these defendants in addition to damages to be assessed by the court.
Currently, father and son's whereabouts remain officially unknown.