FROM wanted fugitive to selfies with PMX.
The life of 38-year-old businessman Liow Soon Hee a.k.a. Nicky Liow reads almost like a Hollywood-script.
From being on the “most wanted” list by the police to having alleged ties with international crime syndicates, this international man of mystery managed to evade police capture for over a year before turning himself in 2022.
Somehow all this drama did not prevent Liow from being photographed next to the PKR president and Malaysia’s most powerful man Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the party’s induction ceremony
That image of PMX and Liow in a PKR Youth collared T-shirt rubbing elbows was certainly hot koptiam gossip until the latest twist.
It appears that Liow has been fully acquitted of 26 charges of money laundering involving more than RM36 mil after the prosecution withdrew the case three years ago – yes, in a hush-hush manner.
As reported by Berita Harian, his lawyer Datuk Rajpal Singh confirmed that the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) decided not to proceed with the prosecution after receiving Liow’s representation.
As per the good lawyer’s account, his client had also settled tax arrears of RM400,000 to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) to resolve charges related to Tax Return Forms under the Income Tax Act 1967.
“We submitted a letter of representation to the AGC and they accepted it,” he surmised.
According to the charge sheet, Liow as a company director was alleged to have been involved in money laundering and possessing money believed to be the result of illegal activities in several locations near the Klang Valley between 2016 and 2021.
In the aftermath of the image going viral, PKR secretary-general Datuk Dr Fuziah Salleh had later confirmed that Liow is NOT a party member and that PKR has never received an application for membership from the businessman.
Liow also clarified that the PKR garb he wore in the photo that went viral was purchased at a charity event and he is NOT an official card-carrying member of the party.
The news was shared on the mainstream daily’s Facebook portal which has amassed, 11.5K likes, 4.5K comments and 1K shares at time of writing, denoting that this hot news has got tongues wagging.
The sense of astonishment at the turnaround of events was palpable in the comments. From being a wanted fugitive to posing with PMX, some citizens remarked that it was a waste of time for the police to have tried apprehending him.
Many observers did not hold back in casting aspersions, chiefly that (alleged) gangsters with shady pasts were in cahoots with Pakatan Harapan (PH) and DAP.
Given the circumstances surrounding the appearance of the picture and the news that Liow had been absolved of all charges, many netizens were quick to vent that the laws did not seem to apply to the rich and powerful.
“Money not only brings happiness but it brings freedom, too,” one commenter sarcastically remarked.
The mood was summed up by those who wondered what privileges could come a person’s way if they wore the right coloured uniforms.
Many netizens also wondered how the AGC could so easily drop the charges against Liow when he was being hunted by the police for such serious crimes.
One sarcastically noted that this Madami administration was true to its word that it would eradicate crime – “by cleansing criminal records!”
Rightly or wrongly, this picture of PMX and a man once wanted by the coppers has definitely given rise to the perception that having “strong cable” (connections) matter in Malaysia. – July 31, 2026
Main image credit: Malaysiakini/YouTube
