Cops extracting 'digital evidence' from the Equanimity

Indonesian police are extracting digital evidence from the Equanimity superyacht linked to businessperson Jho Low to verify its route to Benoa, Bali, where the vessel was seized yesterday.

A spokesperson from the central Indonesian police headquarters in Jakarta, M Iqbal, told Malaysiakini that the process involved extracting information from the vessel's Automated Identification System, as part of investigations under the republic's anti-money laundering laws.

"There is an AIS on the vessel.

"Information from the system is important for investigators to track locations where the vessel had previously sailed," said Iqbal when contacted.

"There must be verification of the evidence because the AIS was previously switched off to evade the authorities," he explained.

After the police have completed its initial investigations on the superyacht and its 34 crew, Iqbal said they would then proceed with further investigations, including to record statements from its owner.

"For the purposes of our overall investigations, any persons related to the vessel's presence in Indonesia will have their statements recorded," he said without elaborating further.

Other physical evidence reportedly seized from the vessel so far also included travel logbooks and registration documents.

Asked whether the Indonesian police had received information from the FBI regarding the ship's owner, Iqbal said their US counterparts had shared details of their own investigations which led to the request for assistance on Feb 21.

"We received information... But at this stage, we are completing other stages of the investigations first. It's a gradual process.

"So I cannot reveal who else would be called...," he said, adding that future legal actions could proceed in Indonesia as well as the US.

Earlier reports indicated that the Equanimity had made its way to Indonesia last November and passed through Raja Ampat in East Nusa Tenggara before heading westwards towards Lombok and Bali.

The US Department of Justice in its assets forfeiture suit claimed Low had commissioned the superyacht to be built at an estimated US$250 million (RM1 billion) using money it claims had been misappropriated from 1MDB.

The DOJ believes that at least US$4.5 billion has been misappropriated from 1MDB by Malaysian government officials among others, and is looking to recover approximately US$1.7 billion in assets allegedly acquired in the US using these stolen funds.

The move is part of its anti-kleptocracy operations to seize funds being laundered through the US financial system. -Mkini