The vanishing acts of Malaysia’s high-profile fugitives are beginning to look less like coincidences and more like a well-rehearsed routine - a perfected art of escape inspired by none other than Jho Low, the infamous 1MDB fugitive who continues to elude global capture.
From the past prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s son-in-law Datuk Seri Adlan Berhan to another former prime minister Dato' Seri Ismail Sabri’s ex-son-in-law Datuk Jovian Mandagie, a pattern of disappearing beyond the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) reach has become disturbingly familiar.
MACC Chief Tan Sri Azam Baki recently admitted that it has been “difficult” to bring Adlan Berhan back to Malaysia. The fugitive businessman, sought in connection with a project involving foreign worker biometric data, is believed to be living lavishly in the Middle East - complete with golf sessions, shooting range visits, and elite company.
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His Malaysian passport has been cancelled, yet Azam confirmed Adlan is likely using a foreign passport to travel freely. Despite an Interpol Red Notice and police warrant, Adlan remains untouchable, echoing Jho Low’s global Houdini act.
This recurring narrative signals a troubling reality: when political privilege meets cross-border loopholes, justice falters. The longer Malaysia fails to bring such fugitives to account, the weaker its institutions appear - not just before the public, but on the world stage.
Adding to this unsettling trend is Datuk Jovian Mandagie, once a prominent fashion designer and Ismail Sabri’s son-in-law, now facing bankruptcy and a corruption probe. MACC has announced plans to question him in Indonesia, but as Azam admitted, authorities “cannot compel him to return” since he is now an Indonesian citizen.
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https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025/07/03/fashion-designer-jovian-mandagie-declared-bankrupt
This diplomatic and legal grey zone further complicates enforcement, making fugitives confident that Malaysia’s grip cannot reach them once they cross borders.
Both cases - just like Jho Low's disappearing acts and invisibility - expose a systemic weakness, not in the laws themselves, but in the will to enforce them with equal intensity regardless of connections or political ties. The fugitive lifestyle, once an outlier, now risks becoming a template for the corrupt: stash wealth overseas, obtain foreign residency or citizenship, and enjoy a luxurious exile.
If Malaysia’s enforcement agencies continue to merely admit “difficulty” without decisive global cooperation, it sends a dangerous signal - that corruption pays, provided you have the right passport and enough friends abroad.
The MACC’s struggle to bring Adlan Berhan home, much like the ongoing failure to capture Jho Low, reflects more than just logistical challenges. It has created a public perception of enforcement weakness and reveals a crisis of political will. Until the government treats fugitives not as politically sensitive figures but as criminals accountable to the same law, Malaysia will continue to see its justice system mocked by those who should have long been brought to justice.
Because when justice hesitates, impunity learns - and the next fugitive is already taking notes for their escape plan.
By: Kpost
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