According to news portal Macau Business, Macau’s Office of the Secretary for Security (GSS) said it was “bewildered” by MACC’s claim and that the anti-graft agency had “violated international norms”.

It accused MACC of releasing unsubstantiated information and not getting any confirmation from their counterparts in Macau before making the claim, as should have been done in compliance with international protocols.

GSS added that Macau police cannot disclose any personal information on its own and can only work with foreign counterparts according to international law and norms.

“This is a principle that Macau must uphold as an international city and a society governed by the rule of law,” it said.

On Tuesday, Al Jazeera quoted a MACC spokesman as saying the agency believed that Jho Low and other individuals wanted over the 1MDB scandal were currently in Macau.

An Interpol Red Notice for Jho Low was approved and issued in 2018. Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said last year that efforts to track the fugitive down were ongoing.

Jho Low has been charged in Malaysia and in the United States, and is also wanted in a few other countries, over allegations that he orchestrated the theft of US$4.5 billion from 1MDB. Beijing previously denied protecting the fugitive financier.