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Claim review. Money laundering

Unresolved

The available records do not permit a responsible conclusion.

The US Department of Justice announced on 1 November 2018 that Low Taek Jho, known as Jho Low, was indicted for conspiring to launder billions of dollars embezzled from 1MDB and that he remained at large.

About
1Malaysia Development Berhad
Claim made by
US Department of Justice, Eastern District of New York, regulator statement
Published
1 November 2018
Original
Malaysian Financier Low Taek Jho, AKA Jho Low, and Former Banker Ng Chong Hwa, AKA Roger Ng, Indicted for Conspiring to Launder Billions of Dollars in Illegal Proceeds
Evidence score
77 How it was scored
Last reviewed
25 October 2026

Why this label

The DOJ release of 1 November 2018 states that Low Taek Jho was indicted for conspiring to launder billions embezzled from 1MDB and for FCPA offencesS2. The release says the charges are allegations and that defendants are presumed innocent. It says Low remains at large. An indictment is an allegation, not a finding. The criminal case against Low has not been tried and he has not been apprehended. We found no public record of an arrest or trial of Low as of October 2026. For these reasons the proposition that he committed the offences is unresolved on the record, even though the indictment is real and current.

Current procedural position

Indicted in the Eastern District of New York on 1 November 2018. Low remains at large with no public record of apprehension found as of October 2026S2.

Record supporting the assessment

conspiring to launder billions of dollars embezzled from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB)
S2 Tier A US Department of Justice, Eastern District of New York, Malaysian Financier Low Taek Jho, AKA Jho Low, and Former Banker Ng Chong Hwa, AKA Roger Ng, Indicted for Conspiring to Launder Billions of Dollars in Illegal Proceeds, 1 November 2018
The charges in the indictment as to Low and Ng are allegations
S2 Tier A US Department of Justice, Eastern District of New York, Malaysian Financier Low Taek Jho, AKA Jho Low, and Former Banker Ng Chong Hwa, AKA Roger Ng, Indicted for Conspiring to Launder Billions of Dollars in Illegal Proceeds, 1 November 2018
Low remains at large.
S2 Tier A US Department of Justice, Eastern District of New York, Malaysian Financier Low Taek Jho, AKA Jho Low, and Former Banker Ng Chong Hwa, AKA Roger Ng, Indicted for Conspiring to Launder Billions of Dollars in Illegal Proceeds, 1 November 2018

Conflicting or limiting record

No record located that conflicts with this assessment.

Evidence score: 77 of 100

The score grades how well the record establishes this assessment. It is not a score of 1Malaysia Development Berhad. Score = source authority + directness + corroboration + procedural accuracy + currency + reproducibility.

ComponentPointsMaxReason
Source authorityIs the source competent to establish the proposition?2730A DOJ release announcing an indictment is a competent record of the charge.
DirectnessDoes the source state the proposition or only discuss adjacent facts?1820The release states the charge and that Low is at large.
CorroborationDo independent records support the same material point?1015The 2016 and 2019 DOJ releases describe the same misappropriationS1S3.
Procedural accuracyDoes the record settle the procedural state the claim describes?515An indictment is an allegation and the case against Low is untried.
CurrencyHas the record been checked against later developments?810No public record of apprehension or trial of Low found as of October 2026.
ReproducibilityCan a reader locate the passage and repeat the assessment?910The release is public on the DOJ site.
Total77100

Timeline

  1. DOJ announces indictment of Low and NgS2
  2. Low remains at large, no apprehension foundS2

Related cases

  • United States v. Low Taek Jho and Ng Chong HwaUS District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Criminal. Not published on the release we read.Stage: Charges against Low pending, Low at large as of October 2026S2
    • Indictment of Low and Ng announcedS2

Responses

  • Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), 28 January (year not shown on page): Through a statement of defence Low said the 2019 civil settlement was not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing.S7

Revision history

  • Assessment first published with label Unresolved.

Have a record that changes this assessment? See corrections and responses.

Sources

  1. S2Tier A Malaysian Financier Low Taek Jho, AKA Jho Low, and Former Banker Ng Chong Hwa, AKA Roger Ng, Indicted for Conspiring to Launder Billions of Dollars in Illegal ProceedsUS Department of Justice, Eastern District of New York. Government press release. 1 November 2018.DOJ release announcing the 1 November 2018 indictment of Low and Ng. Supports the charge and that Low is at large. An indictment is an allegation.
  2. S1Tier A United States Seeks to Recover More Than $1 Billion Obtained from Corruption Involving Malaysian Sovereign Wealth FundUS Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. Government press release. 20 July 2016.DOJ press release on the July 2016 civil forfeiture complaints. Supports the amount sought and the misappropriation figure. These are allegations, not findings.
  3. S3Tier A United States Reaches Settlement to Recover More Than $700 Million in Assets Allegedly Traceable to Corruption Involving Malaysian Sovereign Wealth FundUS Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. Government press release. 30 October 2019.DOJ release on the 30 October 2019 settlement to forfeit assets worth more than US$700 million. Supports that the civil case is not a criminal finding and that charges remain open.
  4. S7Tier C Jho Low claims he is absolved of wrongdoing in 1MDB after resolution with US DOJThe Edge Malaysia. Press report. 28 January (year not shown on page).The Edge Malaysia report on Low's statement of defence. Origin for his claim that the settlement was not an admission of wrongdoing. Press account only.

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