Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has boarded the RM1 billion superyacht Equanimity, which is involved in the 1MDB scandal.
He arrived at the Port Klang jetty where the yacht is docked at around 11.40am, and was promptly escorted to the docking bay.
An entourage of 13 people were allowed onto the yacht, including Mahathir, Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and Deputy Defence Minister Liew Chin Tong, after obtaining the court’s permission yesterday.
The tour took around an hour, after which they gave a briefing to the press.
Mahathir called the yacht "super luxurious".
"I have been on yachts before, but nothing like this. Everything is superb," he said.
He described some of the amenities on the yacht, describing the "fantastic" lifts, the custom furniture and the gymnasium among others.
In particular, he said, the master bedroom had a skylight so one could literally sleep under the stars, and if one was too hot, the skylight could be closed as well.
"Everything you can think of, it is found there, and many things you don't think about is also there," he said.
However, he said, the government has no plans to open up the superyacht for public viewing as they intend to sell the Equanimity eventually.
The yacht has to be kept in good condition for it to be sold, and inviting "hundreds of people" to view the yacht may damage it, he said.
"Also it will give a very bad impression and buyers may not want to buy a ship that is exhibited like that so we cannot allow the public to view the yacht.
"But we have taken pictures and we can show you what it is like," he said.
Mahathir also noted that the paintings Low bought have been removed from the ship, so the government has "lost that".
The Equanimity was first seized by Indonesian authorities on Feb 28.
The yacht has since been the subject of a legal battle between the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and and the yacht's registered owner Equanimity (Cayman) Ltd. The firm is allegedly owned by Penang-born financier Low Taek Jho through intermediaries.
The DOJ's suit to seize the yacht is one of 30 civil forfeiture suits the agency has filed to seize properties allegedly bought through funds misappropriated from 1MDB, which had been channelled through the US financial system.
Following the legal tussle between the US and Equanimity (Cayman) Ltd, Indonesia had the yacht brought to the Batam Free Trade Zone where it was handed over to Malaysian authorities on Aug 6.
The Equanimity arrived in Port Klang the following day. -Mkini
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