Malaysian fugitive Jho Low denies being mastermind of fund plunder

The fugitive Malaysian financier at the center of a multi-billion-dollar corruption scandal insisted he had not led the plundering of the 1MDB fund, a report said today.

Low Taek Jho -- commonly known as Jho Low -- has been charged in Malaysia and the US for allegedly playing a major role in the theft of billions of dollars from sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad.

Looted money was used to buy everything from a super-yacht to art, in a fraud that allegedly involved former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak and contributed to his government's downfall in 2018.

In a rare interview, Low told Singapore's Straits Times newspaper that he was an "intermediary" who was sought after due to his "good relationships with influential foreign businessmen and decision makers".

"The idea that I am some kind of 'mastermind' is just wrong," said the financier, who acted as an unofficial adviser to 1MDB.

The 38-year-old -- who consistently denies wrongdoing over the scandal -- said various institutions, bankers and lawyers had also worked with the fund, in emailed responses to the paper.

"The inordinate amount of media scrutiny on me compared to that placed on the global financial and other institutions and advisers that actually organized and facilitated the fundraisings at issue is astounding," he said. "The reality is that I am an easy target."

He said: "People and companies act as introducers or intermediaries all the time.

"This is not a unique situation. I was requested to assist because of my good relationships with influential foreign businessmen and decision makers."-AFP/Reuters. Photo" The Star/ANN