# Jho Low

### Context

Low Taek Jho, widely known as Jho Low, is a Malaysian financier charged by U.S. prosecutors in connection with the [1Malaysia Development Berhad](/organizations/1malaysia-development-berhad) (1MDB) scandal. U.S. authorities allege that Low and others conspired to launder billions of dollars misappropriated from 1MDB and to pay bribes connected with bond transactions. Low has not been tried in the United States and remains a fugitive according to Justice Department case material. The page must therefore distinguish allegations, civil forfeiture settlements and convictions of other participants from any conviction of Low himself. Sources: [U.S. DOJ, 1 November 2018](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/malaysian-financier-low-taek-jho-aka-jho-low-and-former-banker-ng-chong-hwa-aka-roger) and [DOJ case record](https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-fraud/fcpa/cases/low-taek-jho).

### Record

The U.S. indictment announced in November 2018 charged Low with money-laundering and foreign-bribery conspiracies tied to 1MDB. Separate civil-forfeiture actions targeted assets that the Justice Department alleged were purchased with misappropriated funds. In June 2024, the department announced an agreement with Low, members of his family and related trusts resolving two civil forfeiture cases and facilitating recovery or transfer of more than $100 million in additional assets; the department expressly described the underlying asset claims as allegations. Other 1MDB participants have been convicted or pleaded guilty, but those outcomes are not Low's convictions.

## Dated facts

- 2019: Jho Low agrees to forfeit about $700 million in assets. https://factrail.ai/facts/jho-low-us-forfeiture-settlement-2019-10-30. Sources: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/31/775065470/u-s-recovers-more-than-700-million-in-malaysian-slush-fund-scandal, https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50244259, https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/30/asia/us-jho-low-1mdb-settlement-intl-hnk.
- 2018: U.S. unseals criminal charges against Jho Low. https://factrail.ai/facts/jho-low-criminally-charged-us-2018-11-01. Sources: https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/450057, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/01/malaysia-1mdb-scandal-us-justice-department-charges-former-goldman-bankers, https://www.businessinsider.com/1mdb-timeline-the-goldman-sachs-backed-malaysian-wealth-fund-2018-12.
- 2016: U.S. files civil forfeiture suits naming Jho Low over 1MDB funds. https://factrail.ai/facts/doj-1mdb-civil-forfeiture-filing-2016-07-20. Sources: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/5/30/1mdb-fugitive-jho-low-hiding-in-macau-malaysian-authorities-say, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/28/1mdb-inside-story-worlds-biggest-financial-scandal-malaysia.

## Methodology

https://factrail.ai/methodology

Canonical: https://factrail.ai/people/jho-low