Jho Low believes he did no wrong, claims had only borrowed money from 1MDB

KUALA LUMPUR: Fugitive businessman, Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, who became the 'mastermind' in the 1MDB scandal believes he did nothing wrong and had only borrowed money from 1MDB.

Jho Low's confession was made via a recording of a telephone conversation with a former government official under the leadership of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad which was revealed through a documentary broadcast by the Al Jazeera station.

The one-hour documentary entitled 'Jho Low - Hunt for a Fugitive' started with a phone call between Jho Low and the Malaysian government between May and November 2018.

Jho Low insisted that he had only borrowed billions of dollars from 1MDB for himself.

"I believe I did not do anything wrong," he said through the recording of a telephone conversation obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera.

He added that the money was spent, among others, to buy luxury properties around the world, artwork, private jets, large luxury yachts and expensive liquor.

In fact, Jho Low is prepared to return the money as long as he is not charged in court.

“All these are actually just a loan, directly or indirectly, but, finally, I think, the time has come, we want to help to return these assets.

"And in return for the cooperation given, we want to continue living without facing any charges," he said.

Former FBI special agent Debra LaPrevotte, who was involved in the early stages of the 1MDB investigation and is now a senior investigator of anti-kleptocratic NGO The Sentry, dismissed Jho Low's allegations.

"If it is true that it does not involve any misconduct, then there is no need to return the assets, right? Of course no asset will be confiscated.

"This is funny. It seems like, if I keep talking about this lie, maybe someone will eventually believe me," LaPrevotte said.

Meanwhile, former FBI Agent Bill McMurry believes the only way Jho Low can continue to be on the run is through corruption and with the help of 'superiors'.

"I believe that in this long period, there will be people from the highest and most powerful levels who can allow him to return to Malaysia without any charges," he said.

Meanwhile, Jho Low also blamed 1MDB and former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who was also the Finance Minister at the time.

He claimed that all approvals involving 1MDB were made by Najib as the responsible Finance Minister at that time.

Jho Low also backed the US Department of Justice, saying that most of the $1 billion deposited into Najib's personal account was not a donation from Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, as the former prime minister claimed.

He claimed that the donation was only a small part of the amount.

To date, Jho Low is still being hunted and police believe the businessman is still in Macau despite the Chinese authorities denying the matter.