If you want to upgrade your superyacht, the Malaysian government has one that might be of interest.
And, like all famous superyachts, it comes with a degree of notoriety.
The 3,000-gt Equanimity (built 2014) was seized by Malaysian authorities last week as part of a clampdown on the mass looting and corruption that allegedly took place on the watch of previous Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Built in the Netherlands at a reported cost of $250m, the 26-passenger Equanimity is at the centre of a tug-of-war between current Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and financier Low Taek Jho, who Malaysian and US authorities allege was the mastermind behind the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars of government money. They claim the yacht belongs to Low.
The Equanimity was seized in Indonesian waters at the request of US authorities in February. It is among the $1.7bn of assets that US investigators claim were illegally bought using money diverted from state investment fund 1Malaysia Development.
Last week, the Indonesian authorities agreed to put it in the hands of their Malaysian counterparts, which are seeking to recover the missing money. It was duly delivered to Port Klang, where authorities said the plan is eventually to auction it off.
A legal team representing the vessel’s owner has opposed the seizure by Malaysia, claiming that due process has not been followed. Mahathir has said that if the owner wants it back, he should show his face and evidence of where the money used to buy it came from.
Low has not been seen publicly in months and his exact whereabouts are unknown.
Malaysia’s attorney general says the yacht was seized under admiralty jurisdiction, meaning the buyer can relax in the knowledge that it will be sold with a clean slate.
