The Attorney-General's Chambers obtained a warrant of arrest from the High Court in Kuala Lumpur to seize the luxury yacht Equanimity, attorney general Tommy Thomas said today.
In a statement today, Thomas said the admiralty jurisdiction of the High Court was invoked in relation to the seizure.
"The High Court issued a warrant of arrest against it. Accordingly, the Equanimity was properly seized under the laws of Malaysia," he added.
The vessel, which has been linked to the 1MDB scandal and fugitive Malaysian businessperson Low Taek Jho, arrived at the Boustead Cruise Centre in Port Klang at around 12.25pm.
The yacht was seized by Indonesian authorities in Bali on Feb 28 on the application of the US Department of Justice.
Thomas said the seizure was done at the initiative of the DOJ, which asserted ownership of the yacht on behalf of Malaysia because 1MDB monies were used to purchase it.
"As a result of the mutual legal assistance (MLA) treaties between Indonesia, US and Malaysia which were activated recently, sensitive and delicate negotiations were conducted at the highest levels of different agencies in the three countries to accomplish this feat," his statement read.
Among the agencies involved in this operation, Thomas said, were the police, the Royal Malaysian Navy, MACC and the AGC.
"We would like to express our profound gratitude to the governments of Indonesia and the US, especially the Republic of Indonesia Police (POLRI) in extending cooperation and collaboration to us to enable this to be accomplished," he added.
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