A 147m-long superyacht the worlds seventh-largest yacht in the world is claimed by the US Department of Justice DOJ to be bought in part by funds traced back to the 1MDB scandal.

Yacht topaz 1mdb. Oceanus Maritime is the registered owner of Topaz and is a company set up in the Isle of Man an offshore tax haven that is popular with the super rich to register their luxury yachts. The newspaper further claims that the 208-page filing is an attempt on the part of the DoJ to obtain a ruling to seize a variety of assets that were acquired with funds from 1MDB. Low often partied with celebs such as Paris Hilton her sister Nicky Hilton Miranda Kerr and Lindsay Lohan.

Mr Al-Qubaisi directed companies he controlled to use approximately 116 million originating from 1MDB for debt payments on the yacht between 2012 and 2015 the documents show. DAP MP Tony Pua has called on the Malaysian government to seize yet another luxury superyacht Topaz. Malaysian govt called to seize luxury yacht Topaz retrieve proceeds.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on July 12 2020 with the headline US Department of Justice links 957m luxury yacht Topaz with 1MDB scandal. 1MDB is a strategic investment and development company wholly-owned by the government of Malaysia. Mubadala Boss Was Bribed 10 Million.

According to legal sources if Malaysia can prove that money from 1MDB helped pay for Topaz it can make a claim. The DOJ made the 208-page filing to a federal court in California in an attempt to obtain a ruling that allows the department to seize 1MDB assets which includes two paintings and an apartment in Paris. The US Department of Justice says a private firm paid for the Topaz now called A with money misappropriated from 1MDB.

The Topaz a 482-foot yacht with eight floors a swimming pool cinema and two helicopter pads was used and controlled by Sheikh Mansour until at least 2015. It was revealed by the United States Department of Justice DOJ recently that 1MDB funds contributed towards the purchase of the worlds 7th largest yacht the Topaz which cost approximately US688 million RM29 billion. Commentators in the rarified world of such vessels wondered if this indicated new ownership although no sale had been formally registered.

A formerly known as Topaz is said to be worth RM293 billion. The 450 million dollar super-yacht Topaz first linked with 1MDB by Sarawak Report back in 2015 more recently attracted attention when it underwent a major re-fit in 2019 and changed its name to anonymous sounding A. Pleasant surprise for Malaysias 1MDB asset recovery campaign - superluxury yacht Topaz The DOJ has so far helped Malaysia recover more than US1 billion in assets related to the alleged.