Update on July 12 at 6:34pm: Hong Kong's Department of Justice has replied that it "does not comment on individual cases."

The Singapore Police Force has said that a South China Morning Post (SCMP) report claiming that Singapore never formally requested Hong Kong to arrest Malaysian businessman Jho Low was untrue.

According to the Straits Times, Singapore, in April 2016, issued a formal request to Hong Kong to assist with Low's provisional arrest under its extradition treaty with the Chinese city. Hong Kong declined the request.

Singapore issued a domestic arrest warrant for Low in the same month for the charges money laundering and dishonestly receiving stolen property regarding the 1MDB scandal.

An Interpol Red Notice for Low has been issued and remains in force since October 2016, says the Singapore police.

An Interpol Red Notice does not compel a country to arrest anyone. The legal effect of Red Notices is determined by the laws of individual countries.

The SCMP report

An SCMP report published last Saturday (July 7) quoted an anonymous source saying that Low was "hiding in plain sight" in three luxury flats in Admiralty, one of Hong Kong's financial districts.

Hong Kong did not arrest Low because "there was no formal request for his arrest from Malaysia or Singapore", according to the source.

"Hong Kong police have no obligation to arrest, even if he is on an Interpol red notice. The only obligation is if there is an accompanying formal request from the originating country, which there wasn’t," the source told the SCMP.

Where is Low now?

Low is possibly now in mainland China, after moving from Hong Kong to Macau, according to another SCMP report.

Macau informed Malaysian authorities that Low crossed its borders on July 9, despite Low's cancelled Malaysian passport. Malaysia police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun believes Low to be using multiple passports.

Macau, a former Portuguese colony, has no extradition treaty with any country or territory.

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Malaysia's prime minister Mahathir Mohamad is set to visit Beijing in August to discuss Chinese investment and infrastructural projects in Malaysia. It is unclear whether Mahathir will bring up the arrest of Low with the Chinese authorities.

The Hong Kong Government has yet to respond to the statement made by the Singapore police.

Top image via Jho Low's Facebook