Equanimity captain says he doesn't know superyacht owner

The captain of the Equanimity superyacht, which is linked to businessperson Jho Low, told investigators in Indonesia that he did not know who owned the vessel.

Lawyer Rando Purba told Malaysiakini that his client, Rolf Sieboldt-Berry, who is a South African national, was questioned for six hours at the Bali district police station on Monday as a witness.

"As far as the captain is concerned, what he knows was that the yacht is owned by a company registered in Cayman Islands.

"He doesn't know the person behind the company because he did not see its (registration) documents," said Purba when contacted.

Purba said Sieboldt-Berry was questioned after the yacht was seized in Benoa, Bali on Monday and was questioned by the police about the identity of the vessel's owner.

"Specifically, he (Sieboldt-Berry) was asked whether he knew the director of the company that owned the yacht," he said.

Purba said his client had worked on board the yacht for three years, from March 2015, and was appointed temporary captain since last April.

Asked whether any questions surrounding Jho Low was posed to his client, Purba said the controversial tycoon's name did not crop up during the six-hour session.

"I only know the name (Jho Low) from media reports," he added.

‘Told to remain on board’

Indonesian authorities had seized the Equanimity on a request by a US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) team which is probing a money-laundering case linked to 1MDB.

The Equanimity, which reportedly costs US$250 million (RM1 billion), was among the assets being sought by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of an initiative to recover assets which were allegedly bought with “stolen” money from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.

There were numerous reports and photographs showing that The Equanimity was used by Low to host lavish parties, with Hollywood A-listers including Leonardo DiCaprio and supermodel Miranda Kerr among those who have supposedly been on board.

The 91.5m-long vessel has a spa, a beauty salon, a gym, a sauna, a Turkish bath and a large swimming pool, as well as a helicopter pad.

Purba, meanwhile, also revealed that his client is remaining on board the yacht while awaiting further instructions from the police.

"The police have suggested my client not to leave the vessel... He can actually leave the country but he is following the police's suggestion," said Purba.

Indonesian central police spokesperson M Iqbal yesterday told Malaysiakini that their investigations were still at the initial stages of extracting evidence from the vessel and questioning the captain as well as its 34 crew members.

Low's whereabouts are unknown. However, his spokesperson had described the seizure of the Equanimity as an "overreach" by the US authorities.

Despite this, Malaysian cabinet minister Salleh Said Keruak claimed that there was no proof that Low owned the vessel.

Meanwhile, attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali told Malaysiakini that the government would not seek the returnof the superyacht. -Mkini