FUGITIVE Malaysian businessman Teow Wooi Huat is expected to be deported to China before the end of this month, Thai assistant national police chief Surachate Hakparn said. 

Though Malaysian police too had requested for Teow’s repatriation, Surachate said: “There is no arrest warrant issued against Teow in Malaysia.” 

He said Thai police had received an extradition request from the Chinese government. 

“We have been working on (Teow’s extradition) for more than a month. We have forwarded the request to the attorney-general. Once it is completed, he will be deported to China before the end of this year,” he told Bernama in Bangkok today. 

The 55-year-old Penang-born entrepreneur – dubbed “Jho Low 2” in reference to fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho who is linked to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal – is on the Interpol Red Notice list for questioning. 

On July 22, Teow, who is MBI Group founder, was in Thai immigration police custody after his visa was revoked and has since been awaiting deportation by Thai authorities. 

Malaysia and China are after Teow. It is learnt that China was the first country to request for Teow’s extradition.

Beijing police reportedly want him for questioning following a suit filed by about 400 investors from China to recover investments worth some RM100 million. 

On July 25, Malaysian police said they were in the process of applying for Teow to be repatriated to Malaysia to assist in investigations under Section 420 of the penal code for cheating.

Teow had then been making headlines in Thailand. In 2011, he was sentenced to one day in jail and fined RM160,000 on two counts of cheating more than RM1 million in an investment scheme – Island Red Cafe. 

In 2017, Malaysian authorities had frozen 91 bank accounts with RM177 million linked to MBI International. 

In 2019, hundreds of Chinese nationals staged a peaceful protest outside the Chinese embassy in Kuala Lumpur claiming that they had been cheated by an online pyramid scheme operated by MBI.

Last year, police said Teow and his two sons were involved in the RM336 million Macau scam. However, police believed Teow had fled to the country and was hiding in Dannok, Sadao, in southern Thailand. – Bernama, December 4, 2022.