I am shocked by the statement of former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who said yesterday that if 1MDB masterrmind Jho Low had obtained the Equanimity luxury superyacht illegally, as using money that wasn’t his, Jho Low needs to be held accountable.
Is Najib claiming that as Prime Minister, he had not read the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) expanded kleptocratic litigation papers filed in California in June 2017 which explained in great detail how Jho Low had bought Equanimity with embezzled 1MDB funds and which is easily accessible on the Internet?
If Najib, as Malaysian Prime Minister, had not read the US DoJ’s 1MDB litigation papers, which the US Attorney-General had told an interntional conference as “kleptocracy at its worst”, detailing in 251 pages in great detail how Jho Low had embezzled, misappropriated and money-laundered tens of billions of 1MDB funds, then Najib was not fit to be Prime Minister in the first place.
If he had read the US DOJ kleptocratic litigation papers against 1MDB-linked assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland, in particular, Paragraph 702 – 730 of eight pages on “MORE THAN US$250 MILLION IN LAUNDERED FUNDS WERE USED TO PROCURE THE EQUANIMITY”, then two questions surface
Firstly, what did he do as Prime Minister since June 2017 to address the shocking revelation that Jho Loh had laundered 1MDB funds to procure the super luxury yacht; and
Secondly, how could he in all honesty make the statement yesterday that if Jho Low had obtained the Equanimity luxury superyacht illegally, as using money that wasn’t his, Jho Low needs to be held accountable but he, Najib, did not know the actual situation?
When a former UMNO/BN Minister today questioned in Parliament the legality of the Malaysian seizure of Equanitmity, I am reminded of how top Malaysian govenrment leaders rushed to the defence of Jho Low when the Indonesian authorities sezied the Equanimity luxury superyacht in Bali waters in February, when the international noose around the neck of the mastermind of the 1MDB scandal was getting tighter?
Said Keruak claimed that there was no evidence the Equanimity luxury yacht seized by Indonesian authorities in Bali was owned by Jho Low; the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Razali Ismail challenged the claim that the Equanimity superyacht was bought using 1MDB funds; while a Barisan Nasional MP even described as “fake news” the claim that the yacht Equanimity belonged to a Malaysian.
This brings us to an interesting question as how how many times Najib had met Jho Low, between the 13th and 14th General Elections, and in particular after June 2017 when the US DOJ kleptocratic litigation had listed in great detail in a public document how Jho Low had procured Equanimity with 1MDB funds.
It its section “MORE THAN $250 MIILION IN LAUNDERED FUNDS WERE USED TO PROCURE THE EQUANIMITY”, the US DoJ kleptoratic litigation to forfeit US$1.7 billion 1MDB-linked assets traced in great detail how Jho Low diverted proceeds from 1MDB’s 2013 bond issue and a loan issued by Deutsche Bank to 1MDB in May 2014 to acquire the 300-foot Equanimity luxury superyacht.
Paragraph 703 described the Equanimity as “built in 2014 by Oceanco, a builder of custom yachts based in Rotterdam, Netherlands at the Alblasserdam shipyard”.
It said: “THE EQUANIMITY is a luxury mega-yacht capable of carrying up to twenty-six guests and up to thirty-three crew members and includes a helicopter landing pad, an on-board gymnasium, a cinema, a massage room, a sauna, a steam room, an experiential shower and a plunge pool. In 2014, THE EQUANIMITY was awarded the prize for ‘Best in Show’ at the Monaco Yacht Show.”
Paragraph 706 states: “Travel records reveal that on or about September 9, 2013, while THE EQUANIMITY was still under construction near Rotterdam, LOW, as well as his parents—LHP and ‘Evelyn’ Goh Gaik Ewe — flew from Barcelona to Rotterdam and spent the following day viewing the ‘shipyard and yacht.’”
Paragraph 721 states: “Even before construction of THE EQUANIMITY was completed, LOW personally participated in discussions about how the vessel should be furnished. For instance, on or about May 21, 2014, LOW emailed an Oceanco executive requesting, ‘For owner’s cabin, perhaps if you can get expert advice from Tempur specialist which is: -most top of the line and expensive with most functions for mattress . . .’”
Paragaph 726 states: “On May 31, 2014, LOW exchanged emails with an Oceanco executive regarding planning for a birthday celebration for LOW’s sister aboard THE EQUANIMITY. The Oceanco executive inquired of LOW, ‘Would it be appropriate to make a dragon-cake with text ‘Happy birthday May-Lin’. Celebrate birthday during the river-cruise Saturday as a surprise? Please let me know your ideas.’”
Paragraph 728 states: “Oceanco delivered THE EQUANIMITY to LOW in or around June 2014. In an email from an Oceanco executive to LOW on June 10, 2014, the Oceanco executive stated, ‘It was again a pleasure to welcome you and your family to Oceanco. On behalf of all I would like to sincerely thank you for Friday’s delivery party. . . Everyone who has worked or contributed to the project is extremely proud of Equanimity and were very grateful for the recognition . . . . We hope that you and your family enjoyed the Christening ceremony on Saturday morning as well as the short cruise.’”
Najib needs to be more honest and truthful with the Malaysian people, both on the Equanmity and the 1MDB scandal.
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Tuesday, 14th August 2018)