Malaysian businessman Jho Low is considered the mastermind of a multi-billion dollar financial scandal that involves a complex web of offshore shell companies, A-list celebrities, the Middle East and Wall Street.

For three years, investigators have examined how funds were stolen from Malaysia's quasi-sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and used to purchase international real-estate, super-yachts and even finance Hollywood films. Money even flowed to the personal bank account of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was recently arrested and slapped with charges of money laundering, criminal breach of trust and abuse of power.

Low, now 36 years old, is widely believed to have controlled 1MDB's capital. His rise to power and financial exploits have been documented in a new book called "Billion Dollar Whale" that calls Low's fraud one of history's greatest financial heists.

In this brief excerpt from the book, authored by Wall Street Journal reporters Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, the origins of 1MDB's corruption are revealed.