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Equanimity is the type of yacht that makes billiardaires drool. However, finding a buyer among the super rich in the world is proving difficult. The 91-meter vessel, which was owned by the financial fugitive Low Taek Jho, was not sold at auction last year after being confiscated by the Malaysian government and remains docked at a naval base near Kuala Lumpur.
"It's very difficult to have clients there," said Jonathan Beckett, executive director of Burgess, responsible for the sale. It is a challenge to convince a buyer from Monaco to go to the Italian port of Genoa to see the yachts, he said, regardless of Malaysia.
With an indicative price of $ 130 million, Equanimity is the largest yacht that appears on the Burgess website and has a helicopter deck, space for 22 people and even a spa and beauty salon.
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Only last year was valued at 250 million dollars, but has an infamous story.
SCANDAL 1MDB
His former owner Low, better known as Jho Low, was portrayed by US prosecutors as a central figure in the 1MDB scandal in Malaysia, where allegedly billions of dollars were stolen from the state-owned investment company.
The ship was put up for sale in October, after being seized as part of global attempts to recover assets allegedly purchased with borrowed funds through the state fund. Other sought-after items include a $ 3.8 million diamond pendant awarded to actress Miranda Kerr and a $ 3.2 million Picasso painting donated to Leonardo DiCaprio.
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Low has repeatedly maintained his innocence and faces charges that include money laundering in Malaysia. He was charged in absentia, since his whereabouts are unknown. The Admiralty Court of Malaysia decreed four months ago that the nation's government and the 1MDB have control of the ship.
A Malaysian court refused to accept any of the sealed offers from interested buyers last year, so the ship is offered through a conventional sale until the end of March.
Although there was an interest from both local and foreign buyers, all offers were too low, Beckett said this week at a Superyachts.com event in London.
US individuals own most superyachts, according to Wealth Report 2018 of real estate broker Knight Frank, while the Saudi elite have on average longer ships.
The Malaysian government is looking for a quick sale of the ship, which was built in 2014 and whose maintenance costs about 3 million dollars (729,000 US dollars) a month. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad aims to recover up to $ 4.5 billion in 1MDB funds that have vanished before he takes office.
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