Luxury US$250m yacht at centre of 1MDB scandal returned to Malaysia, PM Mahathir says
Indonesian police working with the FBI seized the yacht off Bali in February but faced a legal challenge from a Cayman Islands company registered as its owner
Indonesia has returned to Malaysia a luxury yacht linked to the multi-billion dollar 1MDB financial scandal, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Monday, a move seen as bolstering a corruption probe involving ex-leader Najib Razak.
The Cayman Islands-registered Equanimity, believed to be worth some US$250 million and belonged to a fugitive Malaysian financier with links to Najib, was seized in February off the Indonesian tourist island of Bali.
Indonesian authorities detained the super-yacht following a request by the US Department of Justice, which is investigating alleged massive misappropriation involving the 1MDB state fund.
“We are happy since the Equanimity yacht has been handed over to us by Indonesia,” Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who is on a tour to Japan, said in a Facebook post.
A spokesman for the prime minister’s office said the yacht would arrive in Port Klang, west of the capital Kuala Lumpur, within the next 48 hours.
Mahathir also thanked Indonesian President Joko Widodo for his cooperation.