KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 ― Wanted broker Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, is said to be residing in China and could be extradited under the Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) agreement between the two nations, a legal expert has said.
However, should Low be found to be in Taiwan, known officially as the Republic of China, things could get more complicated, as Malaysia has no extradition treaty or diplomatic relations with the country.
“Malaysia can put a request to the country to bring Jho Low back. However, the request is subject to that governments and authorities approval,” former Kuala Lumpur Bar Criminal Practice Committee chairman Lim Chi Chau said in a report by The Star.
Taiwan is a self-governing state but the People’s Republic of China claims sovereignty over it. The latter refuses diplomatic relations with any country that recognises the former, under its One-China Policy.
Only 18 countries maintain official ties with Taiwan. Malaysia is not one of them.
Lim was quoted as saying that even if the request were to be granted, chances are that Low would issue a challenge against the order.
“This can be time-consuming and a long process, pending the court decision,” he said in the report.
This comes as Low is being sought by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to assist in investigations into SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
Numerous reports had claimed Low was sighted in China and Taiwan over the past few months, while some were said to have spotted him in Bali, Indonesia.
Lim added that after diplomatic ties between Malaysia and Taiwan were severed in 1974, both consulate offices were shut down and later named the “Friendship and Trade Centre” in Taipei and the “Economic and Cultural Centre” in Kuala Lumpur.
