25-11-2025 (KUALA LUMPUR) A Malaysian High Court has ordered the sister of fugitive financier Low Taek Jho and his business associate to pay nearly $2.8 billion to state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd over misappropriated funds, marking one of the largest judgments in the long-running scandal.
Justice Mahazan Mat Taib issued a default judgment against Low May Lin and Eric Tan on Tuesday after finding that 1MDB had proven its case through extensive documentary evidence including bank records, fund transfer confirmations, and corporate documents. The court heard testimony from three witnesses—including former 1MDB CEO Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi and international fraud investigators—whose evidence went unchallenged as the defendants failed to appear or file any defense.
The ruling found that Tan controlled offshore accounts that received $2.79 billion in funds wrongfully diverted from 1MDB, while May Lin received over $809,000 through transfers from her father that originated from misappropriated money. Justice Mahazan described the scheme as an elaborate, multi-layered operation orchestrated by individuals in power who used offshore entities and family networks to conceal stolen assets. The judge noted that May Lin’s role as a recipient fit within a broader pattern of family-based concealment involving her brother Jho Low, the alleged mastermind behind the scandal.
This judgment adds to previous default rulings against other Low family members, including Jho Low himself, his father, and brother in 2022, and his mother in 2024.
