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Fugitive Financier Jho Low’s Former Superyacht Hits the Market (Again) for $200 Million

The malaysian government sold the boat in april for $124 million in an attempt to recoup losses from the 1mdb financial scandal..

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Now’s your chance to get a real bargain on a superyacht —that is, if you don’t mind a little scandal thrown in. Tranquility, a 300-foot boat once owned by fugitive financier Jho Low, is up for sale for the second time this year.

After a sun-drenched summer spent being chartered by celebrities, the controversial vessel is available for a cool $200 million, reports the Guardian . While the asking price is nearly $75 million more than current owners Genting Group paid for the yacht this spring—a figure Low blasted as “bargain-basement” at the time—it’s still quite a discount compared to the $250 million the Malaysian businessman reportedly paid for it in 2014.

• Starbucks’s New CEO Is Under Fire for His Private-Jet Commute From SoCal to Seattle

Previously named Equanimity , the boat was owned by disgraced Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, better known to the world as Jho Low, until it was seized by Indonesian authorities off the coast of Bali in 2018. This April, the Malaysian government sold the boat to Genting for $124 million in an attempt to recoup losses from the 1MDB financial scandal in which Low is implicated. The financier is accused of having been a key player in a scheme to launder billions of dollars from the country’s state investment fund. Low, who is believed to be in hiding in China, has denied any wrongdoing.

Built by Dutch shipbuilder Oceanco , with an interior from British firm Winch Design , the yacht is just one of many extravagant purchases Low allegedly made with money plundered from the fund. The boat features 11 guest cabins, can host up to 26 passengers, and has room for a crew of 31, according to the sales listing on Camper & Nicholsons’ website . Other amenities include a gym, massage room, Perspex-encased grand piano, jacuzzi pool, sauna, a fully equipped salon and a “beach club.”

Inside ‘Tranquility,’ Jho Low’s former superyacht  Camper & Nicholsons

Since Genting purchased the boat this spring, it’s been available for charter for $1.23 million (€1.1 million) per week, according to CNN . In August, reality TV star-turned-beauty mogul Kylie Jenner celebrated her 22nd birthday on board the ship with friends and family.

In addition to the superyacht, Low is accused of splashing his money on all manner of lavish purchases over the years, including properties around the world, art by Picasso and Basquiat and helping fund Martin Scorsese’s 2013 movie, The Wolf of Wall Street . Last year, producers of the Leonardo DiCaprio-starring flick paid the US government $60 million after being implicated in the 1MDB scandal.

Check out more photos of the boat below:

Camper & Nicholsons

Bryan Hood is a digital staff writer at Robb Report. Before joining the magazine, he worked for the New York Post, Artinfo and New York magazine, where he covered everything from celebrity gossip to…

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Jho Low's former superyacht has a new name and it's very... 'original'

Looks like Equanimity's new owners are quick to move on following their recent acquisition of Jho Low's former superyacht.

The 91.4m-long vessel was sold to Genting Malaysia for US$126 million in early April.

Jho Low was furious at the Malaysian government for undervaluing the vessel which according to some is valued at US$250 million.

Regardless, Equanimity is in the past. The superyacht has a new name now according to the ship-tracking website Marine Traffic.

Introducing... Tranquility. How "original"...

The name is also being transmitted by the automatic tracking system, the AIS.

It is still unclear what the Equa... Tranquility would be used for. In its filing with Bursa Malaysia, the country's stock exchange, Genting said possessing the vessel would make it stand out from its competitors.

Some analysts see that the company could utilize the vessel to provide gambling activities with the superyacht might even be used as a luxury cruise for Genting's top-tier guests.

However, the golden question remains: Does the new name suit the superyacht?

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Jho Low’s Superyacht EQUANIMITY Sold For $126 million

April 4, 2019 6:12 pm

Superyacht linked to malaysian 1mdb scandal finally sold.

Fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low’s superyacht, “Equanimity”, which is linked to a multibillion-dollar scandal at Malaysia’s state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), has been reported sold.

Casino operator Genting Malaysia Berhad bought the yacht on Wednesday for US$126 million, Tommy Thomas, Malaysia’s Attorney General, said on Wednesday.

The 91-metre (300-foot) yacht can accommodate up to 22 guests and 31 crew, and has an interior clad in marble and gold leaf. It boasts a cinema, gym, spa, swimming pool, lift, and helipad.

“Equanimity” was among assets allegedly bought by Low and his associates with money taken from the fund, US and Malaysian officials have said.

Low, who has repeatedly maintained his innocence, faces charges including money laundering in Malaysia. He has been charged in absentia amid suspicions that he is hiding out in China. 

Check out a timeline of how the now-notorious superyacht went from its days as Low’s “party” boat to being sold at auction.

August 2017

“Equanimity” first comes under the spotlight after investigations begin into Low’s alleged involvement in the 1MDB corruption scandal.

The US Department of Justice claims that the businessman owns more than US$1.7 billion in assets, allegedly bought with stolen 1MDB funds, including the superyacht, Reuters reports.

“Equanimity”, has been used by Low for hosting parties, attended by celebrities such as Australian model Miranda Kerr.

The superyacht, along with its crew, is located and seized in Bali, Indonesia, and inspected by Indonesian and American authorities working together on the investigation, Reuters reports.

Low responds by criticising the US for taking the vessel based on “unsupported claims” about his alleged wrongdoing, Malaysian newspaper,  The Star,  reports.

Subsequently, an Indonesian court rules that the seizure is illegal, and the megayacht is relesed, but is not allowed to leave Bali’s Tanjung Benoa port.

Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad visits Indonesia and makes a personal request for the yacht to be handed over to Malaysia, Reuters reports.

Indonesian police impound the yacht again. Indonesia hands the yacht over to Malaysia, and the vessel is later spotted in Port Klang, Selangor. On its arrival, the public and the media flock to see the ship.

Thomas says that the vessel has been brought to Malaysia after legal treaties between the U.S., Indonesia, and Malaysia were activated.

Malaysia announces plans to take an inventory of the ship’s items, allow the public to view the vessel, then sell it at the highest price.

Low criticises the Malaysian government, calling the move “a publicity stunt” that will result in bids for the vessel falling below its fair market value, Reuters reports.

October 2018 “Equanimit”y is put up for auction, with the ship’s estimated value to be disclosed only after bids closes on November 28.

If the highest bid matches or exceeds the estimated value, the court will accept the sale.

The Star reports that bids for the superyacht were “not of acceptable degree”, with the minimum price set at US$130 million.

April 2019 Malaysia’s government receives several offers for the yacht of over US$100 million and sells it to the highest bidder, Genting Malaysia.

Article sourced from SCMP.com

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Jho Low’s Super Yacht, Formerly Known As Equanimity, Is For Sale Under New Name

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The infamous superyacht linked to the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, formerly known as Equanimity, appears to be listed for sale on the British publication Boat International website.

Now known as Tranquility, the sale price of the superyacht appears unlisted though it was sold to casino operator Genting Malaysia Bhd for RM520.8 million in April 2019 – half its original purchase price.

The 91.5-metre yacht had been in the centre of the 1MDB scandal, allegedly bought using stolen funds by fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho (aka Jho Low) who was known for his lavish lifestyle and partying with Hollywood stars.

According to US court documents, 1MDB officials allegedly diverted more than US$850 million (RM 3.6 billion) to private entities incorporated in the Seychelles and British Virgin Islands. The funds were used to purchase Tranquility (then known as Equanimity) at RM1.03 billion for “Low’s personal benefit”, as well as a private jet, Picasso paintings, jewellery and real estate.

The luxury yacht built in 2014 was a mirror of Jho Low’s indulgent lifestyle as it comes equipped with dazzling amenities such as a helipad, Turkish Bath, on deck jacuzzi, sauna, swimming pool, cinema, beauty salon, and 22 luxurious rooms.

Following the request of the US Department of Justice which was investigating money laundering involving 1MDB, Indonesian authorities seized the yacht in Bali in February 2018. It was later returned to Malaysia which put the yacht up for auction.

Following its sale to Genting via a private deal, an incensed Jho Low released a statement via his publicist criticizing the government for accepting the “bargain-basement sale price”.

Genting then put the yacht up for charter and it was even rented by Kylie Jenner for her 22nd birthday bash in August 2019.

View this post on Instagram 🛥♥️ A post shared by Kylie 🤍 (@kyliejenner) on Aug 12, 2019 at 12:03pm PDT

However, it seems that the yacht didn’t attract that much star power as it was put back up on sale in October 2019 with a price tag of US$ 200 million (RM840 million).

Tranquility sails under the flag of the Cayman Islands and is currently docked at Singapore.

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How 1MDB fugitive Jho Low tried to bargain for his freedom

In a series of conversations, the so-called mastermind behind the Malaysian financial scandal tries to avoid justice.

Malaysia’s $4.5bn 1MDB scandal brought down the country’s former prime minister, Najib Razak, and in July saw him convicted and sentenced to 12 years in jail, subject to an appeal, in the first of several trials over his role in looting the fund.

International investment bank Goldman Sachs, often regarded as untouchable, has also been brought to heel, charged with bribing corrupt foreign officials to win 1MDB business and forced to pay out billions of dollars to financial regulators around the world, including in Malaysia and the United States.

Keep reading

Jho low: hunt for a fugitive (part 1), jho low: hunt for a fugitive (part 2), goldman sachs to pay billions in new 1mdb scandal penalties, former trump fundraiser charged with illicit 1mdb, china lobbying.

But authorities are yet to reel in perhaps the biggest fish, the man who potentially holds all the secrets to exactly how much money was stolen, who took it and who called the shots.

Dubbed the “Billion Dollar Whale” by Wall Street Journal authors, Bradley Hope and Tom Wright, the alleged mastermind of the 1MDB criminal scam is Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho. Wanted by Malaysia, the United States and Singapore, he has been on the run, out of sight and silent, for almost five years.

His only public presence is his official website, jho-low.com, where written statements protesting his innocence are posted by his lawyers.

But now in Al Jazeera’s special investigation, Jho Low: Hunt For A Fugitive , he can be heard for the first time, desperately trying to strike a deal with the Malaysian government to avoid going to jail.

Borrowing billions

Recordings of Jho Low featured in the programme, obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera, are of a series of extraordinarily revealing phone conversations he had with the former Malaysian government, led by Mahathir Mohamad.

They took place in the weeks and months immediately after the Mahathir-led coalition’s landslide victory against Najib Razak in May 2018. In them, the fugitive betrays fellow conspirators, offers others, also on the run, as potential witnesses in 1MDB-related cases and complains about the mounting costs of legal representation. His sense of entitlement and lack of remorse are on full display.

“I don’t believe there’s any wrongdoing,” he says and then goes on to suggest he merely borrowed the billions from 1MDB to buy himself, among other things, luxury real estate around the world, art masterpieces, a private jet and a mega-yacht, not to mention millions of dollars worth of Christal champagne.

“All these ultimately were loans, directly or indirectly, but, ultimately, I think the time has come, we want to assist in repatriating these assets back in return for cooperating and moving on with life without, you know, being prosecuted,” he asserts.

‘It’s comical’

Former FBI special agent, Debra LaPrevotte, who was involved in the initial stages of the 1MDB investigation and is now a senior investigator for anti-kleptocracy NGO The Sentry, dismisses Jho Low outright.

“If there were no wrongdoing, people wouldn’t be giving back the assets, right? There would be no assets to be seized. It’s comical. It’s like, if I keep saying the lie, maybe somebody will believe me,” she says.

Bill McMurry, the FBI Special Agent who led the 1MDB investigation from 2015 until recently and who now works with the 5 Stones Intelligence company, is in no doubt about Jho Low’s guilt.

“We’re very confident that we will be able to prove Jho Low’s involvement and his position in this scheme,” he says.

‘Half a billion dollars’ worth of jewellery

Jho Low puts the blame for the 1MDB heist firmly on former Prime Minister Najib, who was also finance minister at the time billions were stolen from the sovereign wealth fund, claiming, “I have no authority to make any decision … It’s a pretty known fact that … all the approvals have to be approved by the minister of finance.”

He goes on to add support to the findings of the US Department of Justice that most of the more than $1bn that arrived in Najib Razak’s personal bank account was from 1MDB and not a gift from Saudi Arabia’s late King Abdullah, as the former prime minister continues to claim.

“The reality is, it is true that King Abdullah actually agreed to give [a] donation to the PM but that was the small portion of a larger portion,” Jho Low says.

But perhaps the most stunning claim Jho Low makes about Najib is the amount of 1MDB money spent on jewellery for the former prime minister’s wife, Rosmah Mansor. The US Department of Justice documents in detail Jho Low’s purchase of a $27m pink diamond for Rosmah, but according to the fugitive, there was a lot more bought for her.

In fact, he says, “north of half a billion dollars” worth. “That was a huge amount,” he adds.

Abu Dhabi’s involvement

Jho Low then turns on 1MDB’s business partners in the Middle East. The Abu Dhabi government has been silent when it comes to its involvement in the 1MDB scandal, but the alleged mastermind of the financial scam claims the capital of the United Arab Emirates was complicit.

“The reality is, Abu Dhabi people did take money. The discussion I left off with them is, look, whatever I settle with the DOJ [Department of Justice] that is used to pay 1MDB bonds, you should all match the same amount, which is probably close to a billion dollars,” he says.

At various times during the phone calls, Jho Low discloses that he is in China and discusses the possibility of a rendezvous in Hong Kong or Macau. But then when Malaysia’s 1MDB investigators set up a meeting in Macau, he flees to the United Arab Emirates the day before.

“Because of the whole warrant of arrest, you know, effectively the UAE folks didn’t think it was safe, so I [have] just gotten into Dubai,” he reveals and goes on to explain how the UAE is “ultra-paranoid now, so I think it’s going to be challenging for me to get any clearance to meet”.

‘High-level government assistance’

Jho Low has two Interpol Red Notices against him issued by Singapore in 2016 and Malaysia in June 2018 as well as an active US arrest warrant. He has also had his Malaysian passport and the passports he bought from St Kitts and Cyprus cancelled, but it seems his ability to move around has not been curtailed.

Prior to the 2018 Malaysian election, he flew in and out of Thailand regularly on private jets. In September 2019 he reportedly flew to Kuwait.

Al Jazeera has seen official flight clearance documents confirming earlier reports by the Hong Kong-based Asia Times, that in November 2019 he flew on a Gulfstream jet from Bangkok to Dubai stopping off for three days in India’s Ahmedabad. According to the documents, he was travelling on a previously undisclosed passport from another Caribbean nation, Grenada.

Despite the Interpol Red Notices against Jho Low, Malaysian police say they were not notified by authorities that he had arrived in or departed from these countries.

Bill McMurry tells Al Jazeera that the only way Jho Low has been able to continue to travel “is through corruption and through extremely high-level government assistance”.

But the former FBI special agent still holds out hope of harpooning the whale. “If he does have the full resources of one or more governments to assist him to maintain his status as a fugitive, it can be difficult to get them, but not impossible,” he ventures.

The Malaysian police have categorically stated that they know Jho Low is living in Macau, but China strongly refutes this. Separate sources in both Malaysia and Macau confirmed to Al Jazeera that the fugitive has been living in Asia’s gambling capital since at least February 2018 in a house owned by a senior member of the Chinese Communist Party.

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Follow our news, recent searches, equanimity, yacht in 1mdb scandal, arrives in malaysia, advertisement.

Equanimity arriving in Port Klang on Aug 7, 2018. (Photo: Sumisha Naidu)

PORT KLANG, Selangor: Equanimity, the US$250 million yacht that has almost become a symbol for the millions of dollars allegedly misappropriated from Malaysian state investment fund 1MDB, arrived back at Port Klang on Tuesday (Aug 7). 

The yacht was returned by Indonesia, whose authorities detained it following a request by the US Department of Justice, which is  investigating alleged misappropriation of 1MDB funds .

The Cayman Islands-registered Equanimity belonged to Jho Low, a  fugitive Malaysian financier  with links to former prime minister Najib Razak. The yacht was  seized in February  off the Indonesian tourist island of Bali.

Speaking to the Bernama news agency, a government lawyer said the yacht was in good condition and that the vessel required at least RM3 million (US$736,000) a month to maintain. 

“It has a crew of 17 including the captain. What we did today is basically hand over the warrant (of arrest of the ship) to the captain,” said lawyer Sitpah Selvaratnam, adding that the crew was allowed to come ashore and that they will help to maintain the vessel.

The Malaysian government intends to auction the yacht off should it be legally awarded to them in order to recover some of the funds allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB.

In a statement, Attorney-General Tommy Thomas said that the seizure of the boat was done in accordance with Malaysian laws. 

"As a result of the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties between Indonesia, the United States 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," he said. 

Thomas also thanked the US and Indonesia governments, as well as the Republic of Indonesia Police for "extending cooperation and collaboration" during the operation. 

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad earlier thanked Indonesian President Joko Widodo for his cooperation.

Ties between Malaysia and Indonesia are close with Mahathir visiting Jakarta in June, his first official tour of the region after a  stunning election victory  in May over Najib.

A total of US$4.5 billion was allegedly misappropriated by top-level 1MDB officials and their associates, according to civil lawsuits filed by the US Department of Justice.

The suits allege that US$1.7 billion worth of assets were allegedly bought with the stolen funds, which US officials are seeking to recover.

Those assets include the Equanimity. 

Low was believed to have been sailing around Asia on the yacht before it was seized.

His lawyer called the seizure an "illegal act" in a press release on Monday.

"Mahathir has chosen to bring the asset illegally into a rigged Malaysian system manipulated by a man who only cares about his absolute political rule. It is ultimately justice that suffers," the statement said.

Mahathir said in the video that if any parties claiming to be the yacht's owners could show proof that they bought the yacht with their own money and not stolen money, then they had the right to get it back.

A lawyer representing the Malaysian government, Jeremy Joseph, said that the probe to identify the actual owner or owners of the yacht will take about six to nine months.

"The warrant to detain the vessel was issued by the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday," he said.

“Next week, the team of lawyers appointed by the government will get back to the court for the next course of action to identify the real owner of owners,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

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Life on the Ocean Waves

Malaysian financier jho low’s superyacht, equanimity, has traversed the globe since 2014, heading into arctic waters shortly after reports of his alleged involvement in a financial scandal at malaysian state fund 1mdb. mr. low, aboard on some of the ship’s travels, has said he was a victim of political infighting in malaysia. since october, the yacht has been moored in thailand., follow its travels and hover over locations for more information., additional credit.

• Reporting by Bradley Hope and Tom Wright
• Illustration by David Chan Tik Wai

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Jho Low’s beloved super-yacht, now docked in Singapore, gets a new name

Guess who’s staying in Singapore under a new identity?

The super-yacht at the center of the 1MDB financial scandal, the floating monstrosity Jho Low once entertained Miranda Kerr in, has a new name, kids — and wouldn’t you know it, you would have only needed a basic thesaurus to come up with this skillful rebranding.

Meet the Equanimity Tranquility , totally not the same vibe that you may have remembered of infamy past! It’s all above water, now (puns!).

Ship-tracking website Marine Traffic reported that the automatic identification system (AIS) now states that the vessel’s name is indeed , Tranquility , when it sends automatic transmissions to transponders on other ships.

After years of floating in and around Southeast Asia, from Phuket to Bali, Malaysia’s government took control of the yacht after it was seized in Bali. The monstrosity, that included its own helipad and nightclub, was seized among other luxury items and properties in relation to the 1MDB financial scandal.

Allegedly owned by Jho Low , it had been reported to be valued at somewhere in the US$250 million ballpark.

In a deal that would put our own haggling spirit to shame, gaming scions Genting Malaysia, purchased the yacht for the bargain-basement price of US$126 million .

Apparently, they hope that their latest acquisition will give them a “unique and competitive edge” for their VIP clientele.

If that isn’t code for “sitting on Leonardo DiCaprio’s sweat stain,” then we don’t know what is.

Genting Malaysia is part of a wider Genting Group, who own and operate several casinos around the world, including in Genting Highlands, and on Singapore’s luxury Sentosa Island.

Looking for a little bit of Tranquility ? Here it is making its way to the Loyang Jetty near the Changi Boardwalk.

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A Yacht, a Monet, a See-Through Piano: The U.S. Collects on a Fugitive’s Shopping Spree

By Elizabeth A. Harris and Alexandra Stevenson

• Dec. 9, 2018

The van Gogh and the Monet are safely in storage in Switzerland. The Oscar that once belonged to Marlon Brando is in a federal warehouse in Texas. Those were easy enough to corral.

But when the $250 million yacht was finally captured in Bali, the United States government couldn’t let it bob in the water unattended, so it had to pay for a crew. The $35 million Bombardier jet has been grounded, but it needed an engine test costing up to $25,000.

And no one is quite sure what to do with the see-through grand piano now sitting in a supermodel’s Malibu home. It won’t fit through the door.

All of the items, and many more, had been bought by a flamboyant Malaysian financier named Jho Low , who prosecutors say helped siphon billions of dollars from a Malaysian government investment fund, then went on a colossal spending spree. It is one of the largest international kleptocracy cases the United States has ever pursued.

It is so expansive that just tracking down, retrieving and maintaining the loot has become a complex multinational operation in itself.

Court documents and interviews describe a recovery effort that involves half a dozen federal agencies, a bevy of contractors and investigators in countries including Switzerland, Luxembourg and Malaysia.

Its targets include more than a dozen properties in New York, California and London, including a $31 million condominium in the Time Warner Center in Manhattan, the Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills hotel and a $17.5 million mansion in Beverly Hills that came with a gold-tipped pyramid floating in a reflecting pool.

The process has been slowed because of the pending criminal case, which itself is lagging because Mr. Low, 37, is a fugitive believed to be hiding in China. There are also thorny legal issues because Mr. Low and some of the other defendants have denied wrongdoing and are challenging the forfeitures.

Several of the items are owned by trusts, and Mr. Low “does not consider it proper for any government to seize property belonging to the trusts or himself,” said Robin Rathmell, Mr. Low’s lawyer.

The United States took the lead in the investigation because it has been cracking down on the flow of illegal money through the American financial system, and because until a few months ago, Malaysia’s own government was being run by the very people accused of ripping it off.

The fund at the center of the investigation, called the 1Malaysia Development Berhad fund or 1MDB, was supposed to benefit ordinary Malaysians. It raised billions of dollars from banks and borrowed from investors, ostensibly to finance projects like a joint venture with a Saudi oil company and the purchase of power plants.

But prosecutors say 1MDB became a “massive, brazen and blatant” money-laundering scheme, in which billions were diverted into the bank accounts of senior officials, including the former prime minister Najib Razak, his family and associates and Mr. Low.

The scandal led to the ouster of Mr. Najib. It also has ensnarled Goldman Sachs , which helped 1MDB raise money; a Justice Department employee who pleaded guilty to helping Mr. Low funnel money into the United States; and Elliott Broidy , a top fund-raiser for President Trump who was paid to lobby the administration to stop the investigation. (Mr. Broidy is not accused of any crime.)

Laundering the money, prosecutors say, involved a complex network of opaque bank accounts and shell companies registered in exotic locations like the British Virgin Islands.

But the idea was simple: Use 1MDB as a vehicle to draw in big money.

And then spend it.

Some $200 million was used to buy artwork. There was a 22-carat pink diamond necklace worth $27.3 million, said to have been given to Mr. Najib’s wife. (Her lawyers say that while she saw the necklace, which has gone missing, she never actually received it.)

Tens of millions of dollars went toward financing Hollywood films including “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Daddy’s Home” through a production studio called Red Granite Pictures, which was owned by Riza Aziz, Mr. Najib’s stepson. Red Granite has settled with the government for $60 million without admitting wrongdoing.

A quarter billion was spent on a custom-built mega-yacht with a movie theater, helicopter pad and enough space for dozens of crew members. Indonesian authorities said the boat’s transponder was turned off at times, making it difficult for the F.B.I. to track it, but the yacht, called the Equanimity, was finally seized in Bali this year. The United States then staffed it with a crew until it was turned over to Malaysia’s custody.

Mr. Low, who had a self-proclaimed taste for the very finest things, also used some of the money to lavish gifts on celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and the Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr, prosecutors say.

In 2014, Mr. Low bought the clear-acrylic grand piano from Crystal Music Company in the Netherlands and had it delivered to Ms. Kerr in Malibu. Peter Tol, the company’s founder, declined to discuss the price but said that his custom pieces now cost from $170,000 to upward of $1 million.

It has been a centerpiece of Ms. Kerr’s home. She has been photographed lounging on its lid in a Giorgio Armani gown and has been recorded tapping out a simple song called “The Flea Waltz.”

Mark Fabiani, a lawyer for Ms. Kerr, said she is happy to relinquish the piano. But it’s not clear that it is worth the effort to get it out.

“If you move it, you might damage it, and then you have to restore it,” said Michael Case, the asset forfeiture coordinator for the United States Marshals Service in Manhattan, speaking generally about such operations.

This extraction would be especially complicated.

When Mr. Tol delivered the piano, he was horrified to learn it would be left on an outdoor deck, protected only by an overhang.

“This was hurting my soul very much,” he said. “I strongly advised them to close that area.”

Ms. Kerr followed his advice. But those new walls are a problem for the government, which believes it would have to do some demolition to get the piano out, according to two people with knowledge of the investigation who were not authorized to speak publicly. Then a very expensive house would have to be repaired.

So for now, the piano stays. Other tokens of Mr. Low’s esteem have been easier to retrieve. Ms. Kerr handed over a substantial amount of jewelry, including an 11.71-carat heart-shaped diamond and a pair of 11-carat diamond earrings.

Mr. DiCaprio, too, has relinquished his gifts, including Picasso’s “ Nature Morte au Crâne de Taureau ” (Still Life With Bull’s Head) and a collage called “Redman One” by Jean-Michel Basquiat, both of which he had stored in Switzerland.

He also gave up Brando’s 1954 Oscar for “On the Waterfront.” According to “ Billion Dollar Whale ,” a book about Mr. Low by two Wall Street Journal reporters, the statue had disappeared from Mr. Brando’s Hollywood home; Mr. Low bought it for $600,000 from a film memorabilia dealer. Unfortunately for the government, when any post-1950 Oscar is put up for sale, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has the right to buy it for $1, a spokeswoman for the academy said.

In Malaysia itself, the haul has been immense. Just days after Mr. Najib was voted out, the police raided six residences connected to him. They seized 35 bags of cash in 26 currencies, and it took 22 officers three days to determine their full value — about $30 million. There were bags of gold (25), Hermes handbags (272) and watches (423). Everything is being stored in Kuala Lumpur at the Malaysian central bank.

“The numbers were just too huge for us to do the accounting on the premises,” said Amar Singh, who led the asset seizures for the Royal Malaysian Police.

Mr. Najib has denied wrongdoing, and Farhan Shafee, a member of his legal team, said, “As far as we can see and as far as the documents provided show, the assets that were seized have nothing to do with the charges that have been brought.”

As for Mr. Tol, the piano maker, he said he felt terrible if he had unwittingly accepted money “destined for the normal people of Malaysia.”

“I don’t like it,” he said. “It is not my way of life.”

Vickey Barron, a real estate broker who sold a $51 million penthouse in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood to another man later implicated in the 1MDB case, Khadem al-Qubaisi, recalled the transaction as a blur. (Mr. al-Qubaisi has been jailed in Abu Dhabi since 2016, making it difficult to defend himself, his lawyer said.)

An entourage of about half a dozen people had zipped through a tour of the apartment, and within a day, a representative called to say they would take it.

She called it one of the strangest deals she’d ever done. “I take longer to buy a pair of sneakers,” she said, “than he took to buy the apartment.”

Muktita Suhartono contributed reporting from Bangkok. Alain Delaquérière and Doris Burke contributed research.

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Kylie Jenner to celebrate birthday on Jho Low's former yacht Equanimity

PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - American model and socialite Kylie Jenner will be celebrating her 22nd birthday on fugitive businessman Jho Low's former superyacht Equanimity later this month.

According to entertainment news outlet TMZ, the founder of Kylie Cosmetics has rented the vessel, which has been renamed Tranquility , for the celebration.

Ms Jenner's birthday falls on Aug 10.

"We're told Tranquility will set the average Joe back around US$1.2 million... PER WEEK!!! Luckily, the birthday girl's worth a billion," TMZ wrote.

According to Forbes, Ms Jenner's net worth is estimated at US$1 billion (S$1.38 billion), making her the world's youngest billionaire .

TMZ noted that there was no word on who would be sailing onboard Tranquility with Ms Jenner. However, the ship can accommodate some 22 guests, and will have a 29-person crew waiting on them.

"We're told the party will hit ports somewhere in the Mediterranean, and we know big sisters Kendall and Kourtney are already over there," reported TMZ.

Jho Low, whose real name is Low Taek Jho, owned the Equanimity until it was confiscated by the Malaysian government.

The vessel was one of many luxury items seized by the government as part of its probe into money laundering in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.

The 91.5m-long superyacht is known to have a Turkish bath, swimming pool and a helicopter landing pad.

In February 2018, it was seized off the coast of Bali by Indonesia at the request of US authorities as part of a probe into the 1MDB scandal. The Indonesian government then handed over the vessel to Malaysia in August.

In April this year, Genting Malaysia Bhd purchased the superyacht for US$126 million .

After being grounded for about 16 months, the vessel, renamed Tranquility, made its first voyage on June 5 from Loyang offshore base in Singapore and arrived in Colombo on June 8.

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