WOLF OF HOLLYWOOD

THE MAN WHO PULLED OFF A MONEY-LAUNDERING SCHEME THAT FOOLED THE RICH AND FAMOUS

- Sara Tapia

If you happened to see Paris Hilton or Leonardo DiCaprio partying in the early 2010s, then chances are you also might have spotted Jho Low. The Malaysian financier may have looked like just your every day, wannabe-playboy businessman attempting to rub shoulders with Tinseltown’s elite, but behind closed doors, he is said to have been part of one of the most audacious corruption heists ever – fooling governments and celebrities alike.

For those unfamiliar with Malaysia’s $6.8 billion 1MDB scandal, in a nutshell, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) was a sovereign wealth fund set up by former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak to help finance investment and alleviate poverty in his country. However, what eventuated was what the FBI has described as the “largest kleptocracy case to date”, with Razak and his associate, Low – who was said to be the mastermind behind the scheme – accused of embezzling millions of dollars.