For somebody who is the subject of an international manhunt led by prosecutors on two continents, disgraced Malaysian financier and alleged 1MDB mastermind Jho Low has been surprisingly active in trying to stop the DoJ and prosecutors in Malaysia from seizing hundreds of millions of dollars of assets allegedly purchased with his ill-gotten gains.
Low, who is believed to be hiding in China under the government’s protection, has been waging an expensive public relations campaign to clear his name, while trying to block the asset seizures through a team of international lawyers – all while insisting that the only reason he has remained in hiding is that he believes he wouldn’t be able to receive a fair trial in Malaysia.
But despite Low’s best efforts, American prosecutors have moved ahead with the seizures, and have seized or auctioned off yachts, art work, jewelry (including gifts to supermodel Miranda Kerr) and even some of the proceeds from ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, which was purportedly financed with some of the money siphoned from the doomed (Goldman Sachs-financed) sovereign wealth fund.
American prosecutors are also preparing to auction off millions of dollars in real estate, including luxury hotel and an LA mansion all purportedly purchased with 1MDB money have been seized by American prosecutors and are now on the auction block.
But in Malaysia, there’s one piece of property that Low isn’t prepared to surrender without a fight.
Low, who remains at large, dropped his claims to a stake in the Park Lane Hotel in New York City last year, paving the way for the property to be sold and the funds returned to Malaysia by the U.S. Justice Department. This week, lawyers for Low asked a U.S. judge to let them take the first steps toward selling two luxury condominiums in Manhattan, which are part of U.S. forfeiture lawsuits linked to 1MDB. Who will keep the proceeds remains unresolved as Low continues to fight the suits.
And that’s a mansion belonging to his mother, which the Malaysian government is trying to seize, Bloomberg reports.
Through a team of lawyers, Low is fighting the seizure, arguing that his family has lived in the property since long before 1MDB existed, and that they have the documentation to prove it.
Low said the purchase and construction of his family home in the Malaysian state of Penang predated the state fund, as his mother Goh Gaik Ewe holds a certificate of occupation dated July 2000. A spokesman for Low, through his U.S. lawyers, provided the occupancy certificate.
Malaysia is seeking to seize the mansion as part of a 680 million ringgit ($162 million) civil forfeiture action. The assets include handbags, cars and cash, which the government alleges were bought using funds siphoned from 1MDB, which was set up in 2009. A local court said on Thursday that the government may invite anyone to submit claims of ownership on the list of seized items, according to Ragunath Kesavan, who represents Low’s mother.
In an open letter published Thursday, Low argued that the seizure is part of a “personal vendetta” against him orchestrated by the Malaysian government, and that seizing the property would put the health and safety of his family at risk. Moreover, prosecutors’ aggressive tack is further proof that Low wouldn’t be able to receive a fair trial in Malaysia, he said.
What comes next? Well, we wouldn’t be surprised to see prosecutors offer Low a deal: Surrender, and in return, his family can keep their home.
via ZeroHedge News http://bit.ly/2MfyDTR Tyler Durden