WANTED businessman Low Taek Jho has poured scorn on Putrajaya’s sale of super yacht Equanimity for US$126 million (RM529 million), calling it a failed “PR stunt”.

In a statement sent via his lawyers, Low, who allegedly bought the yacht with stolen 1Malaysia Development Bhd funds, said the “bargain-basement sale price” showed the “Mahathir government’s incompetence and disregard for the rule of law”.

“It took the Mahathir government twice as long as they promised to sell the yacht, the auction flopped and the ‘transparent’ sales process the government committed to at the outset has been subject to multiple abrupt changes – largely forced on the government through its own incompetence.  

“The Mahathir government has shown that they are prepared to trash the value of the Equanimity in a misguided attack on their political opponents,” he said.

The sale of the Equanimity to Genting Malaysia Bhd is below the US$130 million market price Putrajaya had hoped for. The sale was announced by Attorney-General Tommy Thomas earlier today.

Low, who remains at large after being charged in Malaysia and the US over 1MDB corruption, has consistently said Putrajaya had acted illegally in taking possession of the Equanimity from Indonesia, where the vessel was first seized on behalf of the US Department of Justice.

“As we have stated from the beginning, this is a failed PR stunt, which arrogantly ignored court rulings in Indonesia as well as established legal proceedings in the US.” – April 3, 2019