Equanimity impounded because DoJ sued to seize Jho Low's assets, says IGP

Updated 6 years ago · Published on 7 Mar 2018 10:03PM · 6 Comments

Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun says police will take action against Low Taek Jho if there is evidence against him. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, March 7, 2018.

THE Equanimity was seized because the US Justice Department (DoJ) had filed a civil suit to seize the assets of Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho, said Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun.

In a statement released today by Bukit Aman, Fuzi said the RM1 billion yacht was not impounded because of a civil forfeiture suit to confiscate the assets of 1Malaysia Development Bhd

Police investigation into 1MDB, which was based on the findings of the Public Accounts Committee which we tabled in Parliament in 2016, showed Low had never worked at the state investment fund, he said.

And while the investigation was still ongoing, he said, there had been no evidence so far to link Low to the business decisions and dealings of 1MDB. 

“But if the police finds new evidence against Low Taek Jho, action will be taken against him,” said Fuzi.

Fuzi told the media yesterday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Indonesian authorities had not contacted Malaysian police to ask for assistance in the seizure of the yacht belonging to Low, aka Jho Low.

The Equanimity was seized by Indonesian authorities in Bali on February 28, at the request of the FBI, which has opened a criminal investigation into alleged wrongdoing linked to 1MDB after the DoJ moved to suspend its civil suits to seize US$4.5 billion in assets bought with money allegedly stolen from the investment fund.

The yacht, which is reported to have cost US$260 million, is among the assets on the DoJ’s wanted list, along with expensive property in the US, jewellery, rare art, and Hollywood movie rights.

In a related development, a Variety report said the producers of  The Wolf of Wall Street had agreed to pay US$60 million (RM234 million) to the US government in a settlement deal, following allegations the Hollywood movie profited from funds stolen from 1MDB, according to US magazine Variety.

Red Granite Pictures, which is owned by Prime Minister Najib Razak’s stepson Riza Aziz, reached an agreement with US federal prosecutors yesterday to pay the sum but which did not admit to any wrongdoing. – March 7, 2018.

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Comments

  • Please-lah, don't make stupid statement to embarrass yourself. The news in the world connected Jho Low to 1MDB. DOJ also connected Jho Low with 1MDB. Why are you denying it? It is the job of the police to go after criminals n law breakers n not to protect them! The world has been laughing at the Umno Malaysia govt system....which cannot detect a multibillion ringgit thief but can detect a thief who stole a few hundreds of ringgits. What a shame!

    Posted 6 years ago by Peace Maker · Reply

  • A person is required to be employed by the company for police to taken action. Syabas.
    Very shallow explanation from IGP. SOME THING BETTER THEN NOTHING TO KEEP IMDB MATTER AWAKE.

    Posted 6 years ago by Mohanarajan murugeson · Reply

  • Billions of Jho Low’s assets bought with money he stole from 1MDB have been seized by the US government, and bankers have been jailed in Singapore for helping Jho Low to launder the billions he stole from 1MDB, and our IGP Fuzi Harun has the cheeks to say that Jho Low has nothing to do with 1MDB.
    Fuzi, do you know how many years the Malaysian police have been probing 1MDB? Three years, since March 2015, when former IGP Khalid announced the formation of the special task force to probe 1MDB.
    Tell us, Fuzi, what is the Malaysian police good for when it can’t even find a trace of relationship between Jho Low and 1MDB after 3 long years of investigation, while the whole world knows that Jho Low is the master thief of 1MDB with a dozen jurisdictions around the globe pursuing the case legally, including the availability of hundreds of pages of court documents establishing the crimes.
    Fuzi, if there is any decency left in you, you should resign forthwith for having issued such a shameful statement to make Malaysia the laughing stock of the world.

    Posted 6 years ago by Kim quek · Reply

  • Ha! Ha! Ha! The funniest statements continue to come out from the police and IGP. I am laughing and crying at the same time. They are making us Malaysians and our country look stupid. DOJ would not confiscate the yatch if they don't have sufficient evidence, IGP. And you must be deaf and blind not to see that!

    Posted 6 years ago by HC Lung · Reply

  • JSJ juga tidak mau wang nya sebab KOS menuntut terlalu mahal. Billion pun tidak mengapa, apa lagi ratus ribu.

    Posted 6 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • LoL. Also why MACC chief steal another's man wife also nothing happen. CID chief deposit money all over Australia but not money laundering.

    Posted 6 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply