‘SEIZED ITEMS BEING EVALUATED’
Cops will announce value of watches, jewellery once process is completed
FEDERAL police have refuted claims that the counting and evaluation of the items seized in connection with investigations into 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) have been completed.
Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Amar Singh said police were in the midst of identifying, recording, authenticating and evaluating the items seized from apartments at Pavilion Residences.
These, he said in a statement, included watches, jewellery and other valuables confiscated on May 17.
Amar was responding to a report by China Press headlined “Counting completed, 433 valuable watches worth RM80 million, King of Watches worth RM3.5 million”, published a few days ago.
“Hence, the China Press report that the evaluation of watches and jewellery is completed is completely premature as we have yet to finish the authentication and evaluation process.
“I would like to advise the press and the public to be patient in this matter.
“An official press conference will be conducted by us to announce the actual value of the watches and jewellery once the authentication and evaluation process is completed.”
China Press had reported that the evaluation of the vast majority of 433 watches had been completed and was found to total RM80 million.
Quoting sources, the paper had claimed the watches were found in 37 bags seized from Pavilion Residences, with the most expensive being a Rolex worth RM3.5 million, followed by a Cecil Purnell at RM1.2 million.
It had reported that other brands seized were Patek Philippe and Richard Mille designer watches.
It also claimed that the 37 bags that had contained the watches, gold bars and designer jewellery were at the final stage of evaluation since there were a few rare collections that needed more expertise to check.
The newspaper, quoting a source, said experts took five days, starting May 30, to complete evaluating the designer and branded watches.
The evaluation began a few days after police and Bank Negara Malaysia officers had finished counting the cash seized from the apartment, said to belong to a Tan Sri linked to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The cash, in various currencies, totalled RM114 million and took several days to count.
Police seized 72 bags and 284 boxes containing luxury handbags in search operations conducted at 12 premises linked to Najib since the night of May 16.
Among the 12 premises searched were Najib’s house in Jalan Langgak Duta, three apartments at Pavilion Residences, the prime minister’s office at the Prime Minister’s Department and Seri Perdana, the prime minister’s official residence in Putrajaya.