The Malaysian Insight

DR Mahathir Mohamad has continued to roast a cabinet minister over his comments about a super yacht that was seized as part of investigations into 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

Pakatan Harapan’s prime minister-designate skewered Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak for “knowing Jho Low better than Jho Low himself”.

Dr Mahathir was referring to Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, a central figure in the 1MBD scandal, whose yacht, The Equanimity, was seized in Indonesian waters last week.

“(Salleh) said the yacht does not belong to Jho Low. But Jho Low said it is his. So, Salleh Keruak knows Jho Low better than Jho Low himself”, Dr Mahathir said an event in Taiping, Perak, today.  

“People like this have ilmu ghaib (super powers). He knows more than the owner of the ship.”

Salleh had said that there was no proof that the yacht belonged to Jho Low or that it was bought with money stolen from 1MDB.

Low is said to be Prime Minister Najib Razak’s confidante and business adviser. He is also said to have close ties with several ministers.

He has been named by the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) as the mastermind in a scheme to siphon billions of dollars from the state investment fund. It is alleged that the yacht was among various luxury assets purchased with money from 1MDB, a brainchild of Najib.

The DoJ has launched a criminal investigation into funds allegedly siphoned off from 1MDB and has sought to delay civil suits filed in the past two years to forfeit more than US$1 billion (RM4.3 billion) in real estate and other assets.

After The Equanimity was seized off Bali, Indonesia, on Wednesday, Low accused the DoJ of “global overreach”.

A spokesman for the fugitive businessman said despite staying asset forfeiture proceedings, the DoJ had continued its “deeply flawed and politically-motivated” allegations of impropriety.

“It is, therefore, disappointing that rather than reflect on the deeply flawed and politically-motivated allegations, the DoJ is continuing with its pattern of global overreach – all based on entirely unsupported claims of wrongdoing.”

In his speech, Dr Mahathir said several countries had taken action in the 1MDB scandal except Malaysia, where no one has been prosecuted.

“The DoJ found that the yacht was bought by money that was stolen. Whose money is it? It’s our money. Najib established 1MDB, which did not do any business.

“It did not turn a sen of profit. It has debts of RM42 billion. Half of the money was siphoned to Jho Low.” – March 3, 2018.