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BANGKOK – Malaysian fugitive businessman Teow Wooi Huat is expected to be deported to China before the end of the month, Thai assistant national police chief Surachate Hakparn said.
Though Malaysian police too had requested for Teow’s repatriation, Hakparn said “there is no arrest warrant issued against Teow in Malaysia”.
He said the Thai police had received an extradition request from the Chinese government.
“We have been working on (Teow’s extradition) for more than a month. We have forwarded the request to the attorney-general. Once it is completed, he will be deported to China before end of this year,” he said.
The 55-year-old Penang-born entrepreneur – dubbed Jho Low 2, in reference to another Malaysian fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho linked to the 1MDB scandal – is on the Interpol red notice list for questioning.
On July 22, Teow who is the MBI Group founder was under Thai immigration police custody after his visa was revoked and has since then been awaiting deportation by Thai authorities.
Malaysia and China are after Teow. It is learnt that China was the first country to request for Teow’s extradition.
Beijing police also reportedly wanted him for questioning following a suit filed by about 400 investors from China to recover investments worth some RM100 million.
On July 25, the Malaysian police 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.
Teow has been making headlines – in 2011, he was sentenced to a day’s jail and fined RM160,000 on two counts of cheating more than RM1 million in an investment scheme – Island Red Café.
In 2017, Malaysian authorities had frozen a total of 91 bank accounts with RM177 million linked to MBI International.
In 2019, hundreds of Chinese nationals staged a peaceful protest outside the Chinese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur claiming that they had been cheated by an online pyramid scheme operated by MBI.
Last year, police said Teow and his two sons were involved in the RM336 million Macau scam. However, police believed Teow had fled the country and was hiding in Dannok, Sadao, South Thailand. – Bernama, December 4, 2022