Under its new management, 1MDB has laid claim to superyacht the Equanimity.

It was among the applicants to have seized the vessel when it arrived in Port Klang today.

"1MDB claimed ownership of the Equanimity because they believe their money had been misappropriated and used to purchase the vessel," lawyer Sitpah Selvaratnam told reporters after disembarking from the yacht.

Sitpah, who is from the firm Tommy Thomas Advocates & Solicitors, added that the claim was based on the civil forfeiture suits made by the US Department of Justice last year, which she said carried weight as it is verified against the penalty of perjury.

This is a departure from the previous 1MDB management's stance, denying its funds had been misappropriated and had any links to the Equanimity.

The old management had also dismissed the civil forfeiture suits filed by the DOJ.

The 1MDB management was replaced following Pakatan Harapan's victory in the May 9 general election.

Lawyer Jeremy Joseph said the 1MDB legal team was appointed by the Attorney-General's Chambers to represent both the investment firm and Putrajaya. 

In its submission for a warrant of arrest at the Admiralty Court in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, the legal team from the law firm Joseph & Partners said the 1MDB funds had been misappropriated in four tranches to facilitate the purchase of the Equanimity, as per the DOJ filings.

The plaintiffs argued that those in the know of the misappropriation include fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho and his father.

Sitpah said now that the matter is in court, the group of companies which own the Equanimity on paper have a right to establish their ownership of the vessel.

Earlier, Sitpah, Joseph and other lawyers were on board the yacht for two and a half hours to execute the warrant of arrest on the vessel.

They also met with the ship's 17 crew members, who were hired three weeks ago and led by Norwegian captain Oystein Senneseth,

The crew are free to leave the vessel, and the matter of their pay is expected to be decided in court.

Asked to describe the Equanimity, Joseph said it was "classy" and was decked out in both marble and timber.

The Equanimity was first seized by Indonesian authorities on Feb 28, and has since been the subject of a legal battle between the US Department of Justice and a group of companies which own the yacht on paper.

It is believed that Indonesia agreed to hand over the vessel to Malaysia after a meeting between Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Indonesian president Joko Widodo.

Low, through his lawyers, has condemned the handover as a violation of Indonesian courts which have yet to decide on the seizure of the vessel.

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