By AFIQ AZIZ

Elusive businessman Low Taek Jho has crawled out of the woodwork and agreed to assist the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in the SRC International Sdn Bhd probe.

The flamboyant financier, who is popularly known as Jho Low and accused of masterminding one of the world’s largest financial scandals, has been put on the MACC’s wanted list.

Besides Jho Low, MACC is also looking for SRC International director Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil Nik Othman Arif Kamil to assist in the investigation into 1Malaysia Development Bhd’s (1MDB) former subsidiary.

Bloomberg reported that Jho Low is willing to assist in the investigation after he was summoned by the anti-graft agency for questioning. The report said Low will ask his attorney to contact the MACC.

This is the first time in Malaysia that the businessman has been officially named and called for questioning in relation to the 1MDB scandal and related entities. The baby-faced playboy has been named various times in investigation reports in other countries.

The previous government had dismissed Jho Low’s connection with 1MDB, claiming he has no position in the fund. However, investigations in the US and Singapore had linked him to the money trail, whereby the US Department of Justice (DoJ) claimed US$4.5 billion (RM17.89 billion) had been misappropriated from 1MDB.

The Malaysian playboy had allegedly given Australian model Miranda Kerr jewellery worth U$7.07 million using the funds. The US authority had recovered the jewels from Kerr.

The MACC, in a statement yesterday, said Nik Faisal’s latest address was recorded in Shah Alam, while Jho Low’s previous home was located in Penang.

Jho Low’s whereabouts is unknown. Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was recently reported as saying that the government “roughly knows” where to find the businessman.

SRC International was 1MDB’s subsidiary before it was put under the Ministry of Finance in 2015.

The DoJ is said to be preparing to file criminal charges of wire fraud and money laundering against Jho Low.

The financier has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He has never been arrested or trialled in any court.

Countries like the US have regarded Jho Low as the main person who arranged the transfers of millions of dollars to various government officials’ accounts. In Singapore, the authority has called him a “key person of interest” in its investigation.

SRC International has been linked to the transfer of RM42 million to Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak’s personal account in 2015. Najib has denied any wrongdoing.

SRC had also taken a RM4 billion loan from the Retirement Fund Inc.