Indonesian court rules luxury yacht Equanimity not linked to 1MDB

‘Equanimity’ must be returned to owner, Jakarta court rules

ALUXURY yacht owned by Equanimity Cayman Limited, which was seized by Indonesian police near Bali on Feb 28, has no link with 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), a South Jakarta district court in Indonesia has ruled.

The vessel, Equanimity, could thus be returned to its owner, said Indonesia Special Economic Crimes Unit director Dr Rudy Heriyanto Adi.

Rudy yesterday said police would obey the decision by the court, which ruled that the yacht’s seizure was illegal and not conducted in accordance with the law.

“Based on the ruling made by the South Jakarta State Court, the police will obey the order to return the yacht to its owner, Equanimity Cayman Limited.

“Based on the facts of the proceedings, it was found that the rightful owner of the superyacht Equanimity is Equanimity Cayman Limited (and) that there is no link between the superyacht and 1MDB.”

The yacht was seized as part of the United States’ Department of Justice’s investigation into 1MDB.

It has been alleged that the vessel’s owner is businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low.

Equanimity (Cayman) Limited welcomed the ruling, which it said upheld the rule of law and confirmed that the FBI-instigated seizure of the vessel was improper and unlawful.

“The incident is yet another example of the unjustified global overreach by the United States government, which has gone to extreme and illegal lengths to seize assets around the world while steadfastly avoiding having to prove that there are any merits to its case,” it said in a statement.