Will Anwar's govt step up the hunt for Jho Low?

The two journalists who broke the news on the 1MDB money trail involving jailed former leader Najib Razak have questioned whether the new government headed by Anwar Ibrahim will step up efforts to locate and arrest Low Taek Jho, the man believed to have masterminded the multi-billion dollar scandal.

Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, the authors of "Billion Dollar Whale" who detailed in the Asia Wall Street Journal how billions of ringgit from 1MDB ended up in Najib's private bank accounts, expressed concern that the Malaysian government would put its ties with China above the hunt for Low, better known as Jho Low.

Appearing in the latest episode of an online series on the Malaysian fugitive, they said Low was not brought home more than four years after the fall of Najib's government in 2018.

The duo voiced their belief that Malaysia would be actively looking for Low under the new government.

"But there is a big obstacle. How does Malaysia handle this delicate negotiation with China, the behemoth of the region?

"Ultimately, Malaysia's strategic concerns trump justice in this case," said Hope. 

This comes against the backdrop of a fragile coalition led by Anwar, dependent on the support of Umno led by the faction close to Najib and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who was controversially appointed as deputy prime minister despite facing multiple corruption charges.

Hope and Wright previously revealed that Jho Low could be in China, sharing a picture of the fugitive in Shanghai Disneyland.

They alleged that Low ran to China on Najib's orders, making friends and patrons among leaders of the Chinese Communist Party.

Hope said Low came up with a plan to "bail out" Najib after the 1MDB scandal made headlines around the world. 

"In exchange, Najib will essentially mortgage the country's sovereignty to China. 

"China will make a lot of money in the process, because Malaysia will agree to overpay for assets. Some of this can be used to bail Najib and the rest of it is profit for Chinese companies."

The former prime minister is now serving a 12-year jail term for the misappropriation of tens of millions in SRC International funds. 

Wright meanwhile said he possessed the minutes of a meeting between Low and Chinese officials, detailing how Low and China could profit from money meant for the East Coast Rail Line project.

He said this was why Low had been able to walk free despite being wanted in several countries including Singapore and the US. 

The two American journalists said China would not let Low go as he could spill details on its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to other developing countries. 

The BRI is a Chinese effort to work on infrastructure projects spanning Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Africa. 

"BRI is the biggest investor in developing countries. If those countries knew about the hidden deals, they would be loath to take those deals because they would be afraid that they would lose their sovereignty, just like Malaysia almost become a puppet state to China," Hope said.

Nevertheless, Hope said China and Malaysia could benefit from Low's extradition.

"China has a lot to gain because they can restore trust, and Malaysia has a lot to gain because they can close the door on the case and they can recover more of the money," he said. 

As of January this year, the Malaysian government said it had recovered RM19.14 billion in 1MDB funds.