KUALA LUMPUR: Fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, should be held responsible if the luxury yacht Equanimity, said to be his, was obtained via illegal means.
Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said each action done must be based on the law.
“I would like to stress that no one is above the law, and anyone who commits any wrongdoing must face legal repercussions.
“If the luxury yacht was obtained via illegal means, such as by using money that wasn’t his, as claimed, he (Low) need to be responsible. That is my stand,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby on Monday.
Najib was commenting on a statement made by former Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who has challenged Low to return to Malaysia and face the authorities after criticising the vessel’s seizure.
Khairy was quoted as saying that Low must come out of hiding if he feels he did nothing wrong.
The Rembau member of parliament also said that Umno will continue to be smeared with the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) issue for as long as Low remains at large and the legal proceedings are on hold.
Low, via a spokesman, had claimed in a statement on Sunday that Malaysia was “putting words into the mouth” of the US authorities by saying the US$250 million yacht’s arrival in Malaysia last week was after negotiations with the Americans.
The spokesman said Low had been declared guilty by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir's government “before a single piece of evidence has been produced in US courts.”
The Equanimity is the subject of a custody battle between the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Indonesia after the former filed a civil forfeiture suit on the yacht last year. The DOJ claimed the yacht was bought using misappropriated 1MDB funds laundered through the US financial system, and that Low is the vessel’s owner
via a series of intermediaries.
Meanwhile, Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa said Low has to play his role as a responsible Malaysian and return to the country to face allegations related to 1MDB.
He said Low’s name has been linked too many times to 1MDB and has left a negative impression of the country.
“If he’s done nothing wrong, he should return to Malaysia to prove his innocence. The people cannot face this issue forever as there are many other items which require attention.
“He (Low) had to explain the truth. We parliamentarians are also interested in the truth, not accusations,” he said.