Jho Low’s putative accomplice and a suspect in 1MDB passes away suddenly

Kee Kok Thiam, a suspect in the multibillion-ringgit 1MDB scandal who was detained and freed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) earlier this month, has passed away. China Press said that he is thought to have passed away suddenly from a disease.

Kee’s passing was verified by a MACC representative, according to Sin Chew Daily. After the MACC recorded his statement earlier this month, he was detained and then released.

The Kepong Jinjang Funeral Parlour verified Kee’s brief wake on Tuesday, according to the daily, and the funeral would take place on Wednesday morning, May 31.

When approached, a number of persons who were there and were thought to be family members replied, “I know nothing.”

The obituary states that Kee, 56, would later be cremated in the Kepong Crematorium after his funeral, which is scheduled to begin at 10 am. Kee was one of several people who told the authorities that Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, a wanted man in the 1MDB investigation, was in Macau together with a few other people.

He was reportedly one of Low’s close friends. For years, Malaysian officials have been attempting to bring Low home. He was first given an arrest order for his involvement in 1MDB and eight charges of money laundering by the Sessions Court in absentia in 2018. That same year, Low openly proclaimed his innocence.