KUALA LUMPUR: The government is believed to have been negotiating with China over the extradition of fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low.
Bradley Hope, co-author of the book "Billion Dollar Whale" which chronicled the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) saga, cited sources as saying that such plans are being discussed within the government following Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's visit to China last month.
"This would be huge, fascinating and mark the end of the main storyline of the scandal, from its founding in 2009 to its collapse amid in 2015 and all the insane partying and spending along the way until 2023," Hope wrote in a website dedicated to tracking down the the fugitive businessman behind the multi-billion dollar scandal.
He added that such plans would involve extraditing Low to Malaysia and relieving China from its alleged involvement in the fugitive's deals to cover up the 1MDB scandal.
Hope cited sources as saying that Low had become a "liability of the worst kind" for China after former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak lost the general election back in 2018.
"Sources also claimed that such a deal would allow Malaysia to receive all the money stolen from 1MDB along with other assets linked to the sovereign wealth fund.
"This is an incredibly delicate and challenging deal to work out, and I imagine that both sides (Malaysia and China) would want to make this a positive announcement," Hope said.
Low, who has also been charged in Malaysia and the United States over the 1MDB scandals, is believed to be in Macau, where China has denied harbouring the fugitive.
Last month, he was sentenced in absentia to 10 years imprisonment by the Kuwait court on charges of money laundering.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani last year reiterated their commitment to hunting down the fugitive businessman and to bring him back to Malaysia to face the charges filed against him.