Equanimity docks at Port Klang (updated)

PETALING JAYA: The US$250mil (RM1bil) superyacht Equanimity, was seen at Port Klang at about 12.25pm on Tuesday (Aug 7).

The superyacht, which purportedly belonged to fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, docked at the Boustead Cruise Centre, Pulau Indah here at 1pm accompanied by four Marine Police patrol boats.

After its arrival, officials from the High Court, Attorney General's Chambers, Customs Department, and Immigration Department carried out certain inspection procedures which took about an hour.

More than 50 media representatives from various local and foreign media organisations were gathered at the cruise centre for the arrival of the super yacht, which was sighted at about 12.25pm.

The 91.5-metre-long vessel had 12 crew on board including the captain. 

The media, however, were not allowed to approach the vessel, and could only take videos and pictures from a distance.

Bukit Aman Special Branch director Datuk Abdul Hamid Bador was also present.

Sources said that the Government will fix one day for public viewing.

The Equanimity was seized in Bali on February at the request of US authorities as part of a multi-billion dollar corruption investigation launched by the Department of Justice (DoJ) related to 1MDB.

However, a Jakarta court ruling in April declared the yacht was wrongfully impounded and was released to its owners after they got a court motion to declare the seizure was illegal.

But the vessel was not allowed to leave Tanjung Benoa port.

In July, Indonesian police seized the yacht again following a formal request for legal assistance from the US.

Reuters reported the decision by the Indonesian government to hand over the yacht to Malaysia was reached following a personal request made by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who visited Indonesia in June.

Dr Mahathir had on Monday thanked Indonesia for its cooperation and said that if Jho Low, could prove that he had purchased the billion-ringgit yacht with his own money, he could get it back.