BANGKOK, Sept 2 — Malaysian fugitive businessman Teow Wooi Huat is expected to be deported to China soon, though Malaysian police too had requested for his repatriation.
Assistant national police chief Pol Lt-Gen Surachate Hakparn said this during a press conference at the Royal Thai Police Headquarters in Bangkok, Friday.
"Now, he (Teow) is under the custody of Immigration Police and (we are) preparing to send him to China,” he said.
Malaysia and China are after Teow who is on the Interpol Red Notice list for questioning.
Teow was under Thai Immigration Police custody after his visa was revoked on July 22, and since then he has been awaiting deportation by the Thai authorities.
On July 25, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) said it is in the process of applying for Teow to be repatriated to Malaysia to assist in investigations under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
Beijing police also reportedly want him for questioning following a suit filed by about 400 investors from China to recover investments worth some RM100mil.
On August 9, Teow was supposed to be repatriated to Malaysia but was stopped at the airport as Thai authorities also received an extradition request from the Chinese government.
The 55-year-old Teow founded the MBI Group and operated entertainment complexes, including a resort in Danok at the Thailand-Malaysia border, and also built a business empire from dubious online investment schemes that attracted investors from China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Macau.
In 2017, Teow was arrested by Malaysian authorities on drug charges but he bolted to Thailand and escaped the death penalty.
In 2019, about 100 Chinese nationals claimed that they had been cheated by an online pyramid scheme operated by MBI staged a peaceful protest outside the Chinese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
The same year, Malaysian authorities froze 91 bank accounts totalling RM177 million linked to MBI Group International. Bank Negara had listed MBI as a company running a dubious financial scheme. — Bernama
