Luxury jet linked to Malaysian graft scandal in Singapore — Police
SINGAPORE: A jet allegedly bought with money stolen from a Malaysian state fund is in Singapore, police said yesterday, as Kuala Lumpur seeks to claw back assets linked to the graft scandal.
The Malaysian government has launched investigations into allegations former premier Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his cronies looted billions of dollars from the fund, 1MDB.
Last week a luxury yacht allegedly bought by a financier at the centre of the controversy was returned to Malaysia from Indonesia, and Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said authorities are now seeking to repossess his US$ 35 million jet.
Businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low who was a key adviser to 1MDB, is accused of having bought both the US$ 250 million yacht and the Bombardier Global 5000 jet with money stolen from 1MDB.
Singapore police said in a statement that “an aircraft that is the subject of ongoing 1MDBrelated investigations is parked at Seletar Airport,” referring to an airport that caters to private jets.
However it added that the citystate had not “received any formal request from the Malaysian authorities seeking the return of the aircraft”.
The jet is believed to currently be housed in a hangar belonging to a firm that does maintenance and repair works, the Straits Times newspaper reported. Malaysian authorities have said they want to arrest Jho Low, but his current whereabouts are unknown.
Singapore is one of several countries — including the United States and Switzerland — which have launched investigations into the use of their financial systems to launder money believed to have been siphoned from the fund.
The corruption allegations swirling around Najib were a major factor in a shock election loss in May that toppled his coalition, which had ruled Malaysia since 1957.
Najib has since been charged with corruption and money laundering over the scandal.
He has denied the charges and is out on bail.