In a recent episode of journalists Bradley Hope and Tom Wright’s “The Search for Jho Low” show on their YouTube channel known as Project Brazen, Taipei-based journalist Chris Horton claimed the ministry announced its investigation on Dec 21.

Horton said he visited Mingshi Investment Co Ltd’s office on Dec 21 after reading a tweet from Wright about Jho Low’s business activities in Taiwan.

Upon arriving, the office manager told Horton the company had “left some time ago”, although it was still registered at the address.

“I followed up with the economic affairs ministry and got in touch with the office in charge of vetting incoming foreign investment,” said Horton on the show.

“And while it did seem that there had been some sort of awareness in Taiwanese media that you (Hope and Wright) had uncovered this company registered in Taiwan to Jho Low, it didn’t seem like the government had done much about it.

“Basically, I had contacted them (economic affairs ministry) at about midday, and by the end of the afternoon (on Dec 21), the investigation bureau announced it was investigating Jho Low’s company.”

Hope and Wright previously said Jho Low used his real name to register Mingshi Investment, which was formed in November 2017.

Horton claimed Jho Low had gone to Taiwan to register the company because local laws require company officials to be physically present to register their entities.

He said Taiwan could have been a safe choice for Jho Low as the island does not have extradition treaties with most other major countries.

Hope and Wright, who authored the “Billion Dollar Whale” book on Jho Low, have been actively attempting to locate his whereabouts.

Previously, they claimed that Jho Low controls US$333 million through a British Virgin Islands company which has an office in Shanghai.

Jho Low has been charged in Malaysia and the US over allegations that he orchestrated the theft of US$4.5 billion from 1MDB.