KUALA LUMPUR (May 19): Three former associates of fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho (pictured), better known as Jho Low, who are subject to forfeiture proceedings in relation to RM31 million belonging to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), are said to be on the run.
The three named by deputy public prosecutor Faten Hadni Khairuddin are Kee Kok Thiam, Tan Vern Tact and Geh Choh Hun, who are the 16th, 17th and 18th respondents in the forfeiture case.
Kee, Tan and Geh were formerly directors of Javace Sdn Bhd, UBG Bhd and Majestic Masterpiece Sdn Bhd, which were said to be controlled by Jho Low.
The prosecution and government have seized over RM16 million of the RM31 million from the trio, with the authorities confiscating RM3.3 million from Kee, RM13 million from Tan and RM90,000 from Geh.
The trio were named along with former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, their children Norashman Razak Najib, Nooryana Najwa Najib, Najib's stepson Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz, and 10 others including Jho Low's mother Goh Gaik Ewe, his father Tan Sri Larry Low's controlled Rembulan Kembara Sdn Bhd, former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng and his wife Lim Hwee Bin as respondents in the forfeiture claim.
During Najib’s SRC International Sdn Bhd trial, witnesses testified that Kee had helped Jho Low transfer funds from the former 1MDB subsidiary into the former premier’s accounts.
Besides this, Faten Hadni also said that Rembulan Kembara, along with Yayasan Mustika Kasih, Yayasan Semesta, Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia and Mohd Kyizzad Mesran had not entered an appearance in court despite the court papers of the forfeiture having been served on them.
As the parties were missing and had not entered an appearance, the prosecution will continue to forfeit the items and amounts claimed.
High Court Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan fixed Aug 24 for hearing of all the forfeiture applications before him.
This follows Najib, Rosmah and their children having inspected the items seized and filing their respective affidavits on the matter.
It was previously reported that Justice Zaini in February allowed the family’s application for discovery to inspect some of the items seized to enable them to reply to the prosecution's affidavit to forfeit the items.
Following the inspection, they filed their respective affidavits in reply, according to Najib's lawyer Nursyahirah Hanafiah and Rosmah's counsel Azrul Zulkifli Stork.
Besides the two lawyers, Cains Tan appeared for Ng and his wife Lim, while M Puravalen appeared for Goh.
Read also