In a YouTube livestream yesterday, the duo said they gathered evidence from various sources and newly-uncovered documents which showed that Low is living in a mansion in Green Hills, an “ultra high-end neighbourhood” in Shanghai, China.

They added that Low was using a fake Australian passport with the Greek name “Constantinos Achilles Veis” to hide his identity, Variety reported.

Hope and Wright also claimed that Low was now working as a “behind-the-scenes strategist for the Chinese government”. His role allegedly includes helping sanctioned companies from China “navigate difficulties around the world”.

Hope and Wright are former Wall Street Journal journalists who broke many of the key early 1MDB stories and co-wrote the book “Billion Dollar Whale” about the scandal.

In March, it was reported that several investigative journalists and cryptocurrency enthusiasts had launched a meme coin bounty system in the latest effort to locate Low’s whereabouts.

Hope had said that the bounty system using the meme coin known as $JHOLOW was aimed at obtaining tip-offs on Low.

Describing it as a “grand experiment in participatory journalism”, Hope said it was a test to see whether a coin’s value can be driven not just by speculation, but by the value of information it helps uncover.

Information on Low’s whereabouts would be vetted by a team of moderators, with those who channel verified and useful tip-offs to be rewarded with the crypto token.

Different bounty amounts will be given depending on the value of information shared.

Low, who has been charged in Malaysia and the US over allegations that he orchestrated the theft of US$4.5 billion from 1MDB, was previously said to be in Macau, although Beijing has denied protecting the fugitive financier.