Equanimity not Malaysia's yacht, says A-G

Updated 6 years ago · Published on 1 Mar 2018 11:15AM · 4 Comments

PUTRAJAYA will not claim elusive businessman Low Taek Jho’s luxury yacht the Equanimity because it does not own it, said Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali 

He said the government could not claim something that it did not own.

 “Why could the government claim something that does not belong to it?” he was quoted as saying by news portal Malaysiakini today.

His remarks come following reports that Indonesian authorities had seized the RM1 billion yacht the United States Justice Department (DoJ) alleges was bought by Low with money siphoned from troubled state-investment arm 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

Low, better known as Jho Low, has been named by DoJ as the mastermind in a scheme to siphon billions of dollars from the state investment fund.

The vessel, moored in waters near the island of Bali, can hold 26 guests and 33 crew members. It also has a helicopter pad.
DoJ has filed two civil suits in 2016 and last year to seize more than US$1.5 billion (RM6 billion) in real estate and other assets it says were bought using money misappropriated from 1MDB.

The assets include the Equanimity and the rights to movie Dumb and Dumber To, produced by Red Granite, a production house co-owned by Riza Aziz, Najib’s step son. 

The department alleges that between 2009 and 2015, more than US$4.5 billion was diverted from 1MDB by high-level officials of the state investor and their associates.

In September last year, the suits were suspended as DoJ pursued a criminal investigation into the scandal.

After the seizure yesterday, the fugitive businessman accused the DoJ of overreach.

A spokesman for the businessman, who is believed to be a confidant of Prime Minister Najib Razak, said despite staying asset forfeiture proceedings, DoJ continues its “deeply flawed and politically-motivated” allegations of impropriety.

“It is therefore disappointing that rather than reflect on the deeply flawed and politically-motivated allegations, the DoJ is continuing with its pattern of global over reach – all based on entirely unsupported claims of wrongdoing.”

Though investigations have also been launched in several countries into 1MDB’s dealings, Putrajaya has always maintained that no money is missing or stolen from the fund.

Malaysian authorities admit only “weaknesses” in the administration of 1MDB and have not charged anyone with any crime.

Singapore is the only country to have jailed or banned bankers and people working in the financial sector for cases linked to 1MDB. 

On Tuesday, 1MDB chairman and Treasury secretary-general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah said the troubled sovereign wealth fund will be shut down once it settles all its debts. – March 1, 2018. 

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Comments

  • Equanimity is everything Malaysian. Firstly it is owned by a Malaysian, Jho Low. Secondly, the allegation that he purchased it through money laundering n cheating; which ended up Malaysian hard earned taxpayers has to cough up the money to cover it up for him. Aren't these enough reasons to seize and bring back the yacht to Malaysian shores? Even if you think it is not, then, you should open up investigation papers to verify that this is not owned by Malaysian. You cannot protect MO1 n in doing so, you are implicated as a criminal too

    Posted 6 years ago by Peace Maker · Reply

  • AG -- who are you trying to kid !!!!!!. Obviously it has to be denied as a Malaysian property or else it will complicate the process and implicate the MO1 during the further legal proceeding by DOJ. Aiyaa.... you should not bother to make comments or else the Manchester mercenaries will start writting rubbish again.

    Posted 6 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • Why should AG comment about Jho Low's yacht being seized unless the AG believes that the yacht was bought with 1MDB funds, but is not able to lay claim to it because MO1 cannot be found?

    Posted 6 years ago by Meng Kow Loh · Reply

  • Hahaha. Apandi makes my toes laugh when everybody knows that MO1 is wearing no clothes.

    Posted 6 years ago by Rupert Lum · Reply