Malaysian Fugitive at Center of 1MDB Corruption Scandal That Funded ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ Reportedly Located in China

Jho Low, the playboy Malaysian financier who was central to the multi-billion dollar 1MDB corruption scandal, has reportedly been located and his new identity discovered.

Low was the mastermind behind the embezzlement of at least $4.5 billion from the 1MDB Malaysian development fund, much of which was used to buy luxury real estate across the U.S., plus art, a private jet and a superyacht. But he also managed to use the finances to ingratiate himself into Hollywood circles, most notably becoming close with Leonardo DiCaprio — who would star in 2013 hit “The Wolf of Wall Street,” which, in 2016, the Department of Justice alleged had been financed using stolen Malaysian money. DiCaprio thanked Low in his Golden Globes acceptance speech in 2014.

Since 2015, when elements of the corruption were first brought to light, Low is believed to have been on the run and was initially understood to have taken refuge in Taiwan, which has no extradition treaty with Malaysia or the U.S. There have been various rumors about his whereabouts since then, but Project Brazen, the podcast studio and production banner set up by Bradley Hope and Tom Wright, the former Wall Street Journal reporters who broke many of the key early 1MDB stories and co-wrote “Billion Dollar Whale” about the scandal, has now provided an update.

Announced during a live stream on Friday entitled “Finding Jho Low,” Hope and Wright asserted — using evidence provided by various sources and newly-uncovered documents — that Low was living in a mansion in Green Hills, an “ultra high-end neighbourhood in Shanghai.” They also added that Low was using a “fake Australian passport” using the Greek name Constantinos Achilles Veis, which he was using to “move around China and hide his identity.”

Finally, on the live stream they claimed that Low was now working as a “behind-the-scenes strategist for the Chinese government,” where his tasks include “helping sanctioned Chinese companies navigate difficulties around the world.”

See the “Finding Jho Low” live stream below