Superyacht Equanimity arrives in Singapore
The superyacht Equanimity was sighted in the waters off Singapore yesterday morning, marking the first time it has left Malaysian waters since August last year.
At the time of writing, it is docked at the Loyang Jetty – according to online ship-tracking service Marine Traffic – which is several kilometres northwest of Changi Airport...
The superyacht Equanimity was sighted in the waters off Singapore yesterday morning, marking the first time it has left Malaysian waters since August last year.
At the time of writing, it is docked at the Loyang Jetty – according to online ship-tracking service Marine Traffic – which is several kilometres northwest of Changi Airport.
In a statement on April 3, the Attorney-General’s Chambers confirmed that Genting Malaysia Bhd would purchase the 1MDB-linked vessel for US$126 million (RM514.6 million) through a special purpose vehicle.
Malaysiakini understands that the judicial sale has since been completed.
Genting said at the time that the purchase would allow the company to differentiate itself from its competitors, and provide it with a unique and competitive edge for its premium customers business.
The company did not provide further details, however. Malaysiakini has contacted Genting for comment and is awaiting a reply.
The 91.4m vessel was built by Oceanco in the Netherlands in 2014, and it won the 'Best in Show' award at the Monaco Yacht Show that year.
According to the US Department of Justice, fugitive tycoon Low Taek Jho (above) had syphoned US$250 million (RM1.03 billion) from 1MDB to build and maintain the ship. Low has denied this allegation.
Indonesian authorities seized the vessel in February last year, on the request of their US counterparts, and then turned it over to Malaysia in August. It arrived in Port Klang on Aug 7, a day after the handover.
Meanwhile, the government and 1MDB jointly sought to lay claim to the vessel, through a forfeiture suit that is largely based on the DOJ’s allegations, and to sell the vessel through a judicial sale.
The High Court in Kuala Lumpur later affirmed the claim, and ruled that 1MDB subsidiary Global Diversified Investment Company Limited (formerly known as 1MDB Global Investment Limited) has 53.57 percent ownership of the vessel, while 1MDB Energy Holdings owns the remaining 46.43 percent.
While the sale of the Equanimity was still pending, the vessel had been moored at a naval base in Langkawi since Nov 14 for its “safety and preservation.”
This was until Sunday afternoon, when it departed for Singapore.
