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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.

This New 72-Foot Yacht’s New Hybrid Propulsion System Is the First of Its Kind

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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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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Last Chance to Bid on $250 Million Yacht Seized From Malaysian Fugitive Jho Low

F or sale: a piece of 1MDB history complete with Turkish bath, swimming pool and a helicopter landing pad.

Wednesday marks the last auction day for the Equanimity yacht once owned by fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho and formerly used to host parties featuring the likes of socialite Paris Hilton and Australian model Miranda Kerr.

The 300-foot vessel was put up for sale last month after being seized in March as part of global attempts to recoup assets allegedly lost through the state investment company. Its former owner, better known as Jho Low, has been described as a central figure in the billion-dollar 1MDB scandal that has resulted in worldwide investigations and engulfed Goldman Sachs Group Inc. along with former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

While the yacht might appear to be of interest only to those with a quarter billion dollars burning in their pockets, a smooth sale could help ease pressure on Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as he seeks to fulfill a campaign pledge to recover funds believed to be missing from 1MDB. The leader has said he aims to recover as much $4.5 billion.

Yacht specialist Burgess, the sole broker for the sale, said there’s interest from both local and foreign investors. Some of those potential buyers have already had to stump up a $1 million deposit to pay for the privilege of surveying theyacht, said Ong Chee Kwan from law firm Christopher & Lee Ong, which is representing Malaysia and 1MDB in the sale.

The Equanimity is just one part of a treasure trove of glitzy possessions once owned by Low and now the subject of legal wrangling and asset seizures around the world. The U.S. has filed forfeiture lawsuits against $1.7 billion of assets that were allegedly acquired with money embezzled from 1MDB, including a $1.29 million heart-shaped diamond and a $3.8 million diamond pendant that Low gave to Kerr, as well as a $3.2 million Picasso painting that Low gifted to actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Low has previously called the yacht’s seizure “illegitimate,” while Mahathir challenged the vessel’s owners to reveal the source of funds used to buy Equanimity.

The Malaysian Admiralty Court ruled in October that the Malaysian government and 1MDB are the rightful owners after no one from Equanimity Cayman Ltd., the company that held titles to the yacht, appeared in court to contest the claim. The company said in August that it hadn’t received any “legally valid notice” on the hearing.

The judicial sale process means interested buyers must send in sealed bids to the Sheriff of the High Court of Malaya, who also holds a sealed appraisal note setting out the yacht’s court-approved value. The Sheriff will pick the highest offer as long as it’s more than the amount set out in the note, and Malaysia may have to consider another option if all the bids are lower. The yacht has already cost Malaysian taxpayers more than 3.5 million ringgit ($835,000) in maintenance.

Despite its colorful history, the successful buyer of the yacht will get a globally-recognized ownership title “free of mortgage, attachment and all encumbrances,” according to Burgess’ site.

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United States Reaches Settlement to Recover More Than $700 Million in Assets Allegedly Traceable to Corruption Involving Malaysian Sovereign Wealth Fund

The Department of Justice has reached a settlement of its civil forfeiture cases against assets acquired by Low Taek Jho, aka Jho Low, and his family using funds allegedly misappropriated from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Malaysia’s investment development fund, and laundered through financial institutions in several jurisdictions, including the United States, Switzerland, Singapore and Luxembourg. 

These assets, located in the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, are estimated to be worth more than $700 million.  With the conclusion of this settlement, together with the prior disposition of other related forfeiture cases, the United States will have recovered or assisted in the recovery of more than $1 billion in assets associated with the 1MDB international money laundering and bribery scheme.  This represents the largest recovery to date under the Department’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative and the largest civil forfeiture ever concluded by the Justice Department. 

“As alleged in the complaints, Jho Low and others, including officials in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, engaged in a brazen multi-year conspiracy to launder money embezzled or otherwise misappropriated from 1MDB, and he used those funds, among other things, to engage in extravagant spending sprees, acquiring one-of-kind artwork and luxury real estate, gambling freely at casinos, and propping up his lavish lifestyle,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “This settlement agreement forces Low and his family to relinquish hundreds of millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains that were intended to be used for the benefit of the Malaysian people, and it sends a signal that the United States will not be a safe haven for the proceeds of corruption.”

“A staggering amount of money embezzled from 1MDB at the expense of the people of Malaysia was laundered through the purchase of big-ticket assets in the U.S. and other nations. Thanks to this settlement, one of the men allegedly at the center of this massive scheme will lose all access to hundreds of millions of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Nicola T. Hanna of the Central District of California. “The message in this case is simple: the United States is not a safe haven for pilfered funds. Our strict anti-money laundering controls are effective, and we will seize assets used by criminals to conceal ill-gotten gains.”

“Today's settlement with Jho Low demonstrates the continued commitment of the FBI to root out the fraud and selfishness of the corrupt individuals who conspired to pay bribes and launder funds which belong to the Malaysian people,” said FBI Assistant Director Terry Wade of the Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI's dedicated International Corruption Squads will continue to combat foreign corruption which reaches our shores. We will not allow criminals, foreign or domestic, to use the United States in furtherance of their criminal activities.”

“The action announced today will allow the United States government to deny Mr. Low the use of the assets purchased with this extraordinarily large sum of money he allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB and the people of Malaysia,” said Chief Don Fort of IRS Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI). “Mr. Low allegedly attempted to launder these funds through multiple international jurisdictions and a web of shell corporations, but his greed finally caught up with him.  This case is a model for international cooperation in significant cross-border money laundering investigations”

According to the civil forfeiture complaints, from 2009 through 2015, more than $4.5 billion in funds belonging to 1MDB were allegedly misappropriated by high-level officials of 1MDB and their associates, including Low, through a criminal conspiracy involving international money laundering and bribery.  1MDB was created by the government of Malaysia to promote economic development in Malaysia through global partnerships and foreign direct investment, and its funds were intended to be used for improving the well-being of the Malaysian people. 

Under the terms of the settlement, Low, his family members, and FFP, a Cayman Islands entity serving as the trustees overseeing the assets at issue in these forfeiture actions, agreed to forfeit all assets subject to pending forfeiture complaints in which they have a potential interest.  The trustees are also required to cooperate and assist the Justice Department in the orderly transfer, management and disposition of the relevant assets.  From the assets formerly managed by FFP, the United States will release $15 million to Low’s counsel to pay for legal fees and costs. Under the agreement, none of those fees may be returned to Low or his family members.  The assets subject to the settlement agreement include high-end real estate in Beverly Hills, New York and London; a luxury boutique hotel in Beverly Hills; and tens of millions of dollars in business investments that Low allegedly made with funds traceable to misappropriated 1MDB monies.   

Low separately faces charges in the Eastern District of New York for conspiring to launder billions of dollars embezzled from 1MDB and for conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by paying bribes to various Malaysian and Emirati officials, and in the District of Columbia for conspiring to make and conceal foreign and conduit campaign contributions during the United States presidential election in 2012.  The charges in the indictments are merely allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.  This agreement does not release any entity or individual from filed or potential criminal charges.

The assets being forfeited subject to this settlement are in addition to the nearly $140 million in assets the U.S. previously forfeited in connection with Low’s investment in a business entity related to the Park Lane Hotel in New York, as well as a super-yacht, valued at over $120 million, seized by law enforcement authorities in Indonesia at the request of the Justice Department and recovered by Malaysian authorities directly from Indonesia.  Following conclusion of today’s settlement, several civil forfeiture complaints arising out of the 1MDB criminal conspiracy remain pending against assets associated with other alleged co-conspirators.

The FBI’s International Corruption Squads in New York City and Los Angeles and the IRS-CI are investigating the case.  Deputy Chief Woo S. Lee and Trial Attorneys Kyle R. Freeny, Joshua L. Sohn, Barbara Levy and Jonathan Baum of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Kucera, Michael R. Sew Hoy and Steven R. Welk of the Central District of California are prosecuting the case.  The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs is providing substantial assistance.

The Department also appreciates the significant assistance provided by the Attorney General’s Chambers of Malaysia, the Royal Malaysian Police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Attorney General’s Chambers of Singapore, the Singapore Police Force-Commercial Affairs Division, the Office of the Attorney General and the Federal Office of Justice of Switzerland, the judicial investigating authority of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Criminal Investigation Department of the Grand-Ducal Police of Luxembourg.

The Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative is led by a team of dedicated prosecutors in the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, in partnership with federal law enforcement agencies, and often with U.S. Attorney’s Offices, to forfeit the proceeds of foreign official corruption and, where appropriate, to use those recovered assets to benefit the people harmed by these acts of corruption and abuse of office.  In 2015, the FBI formed International Corruption Squads across the country to address national and international implications of foreign corruption.  Individuals with information about possible proceeds of foreign corruption located in or laundered through the U.S. should contact federal law enforcement or send an email to [email protected] (link sends e-mail) or https://tips.fbi.gov/ .

A civil forfeiture complaint is merely an allegation that money or property was involved in or represents the proceeds of a crime.  These allegations are not proven until a court awards judgment in favor of the United States.

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

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Yes, now is indeed the “perfect” time to buy a boat.

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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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«Yacht girls» hoffen auf die grosse Karriere – und landen in der Edelprostitution

Junge Models und Schauspielerinnen werden von reichen Männern auf Jachten engagiert. Was passiert dort? Annäherung an ein Phänomen, bei dem die Grenzen verschwimmen.

Es passiere mit «verstörender Häufigkeit», dass Frauen sich «ihren Weg zum Ruhm ‹erjachten›», sagt eine Journalistin.

Junge Frauen tanzen im Bikini auf dem Deck einer Jacht. Sie erheben ihre Drinks und lassen ihre Haare im Wind wehen. Auch ein paar wenige Männer sind da. Sie grinsen, legen den Arm um die Frauen und tanzen holprig zur Musik. Es ist eines von zahlreichen Filmchen, die auf Tiktok unter dem Hashtag #Yachtgirls kursieren. «Es sind die einfachen Freuden: schöne Frauen, offenes Meer, guter Champagner», steht darunter.

Die Szene wirkt unverfänglich, die Menschen darin unbeschwert. Doch hinter dem Schlagwort #Yachtgirls verbirgt sich eine Welt mit viel Geld, Macht und möglichem Missbrauch. Es geht um Models, die bezahlt werden, um auf Luxusjachten «Party zu machen».

Was aber tatsächlich auf diesen Jachten passiert, bleibt meistens verborgen. Und selbst wenn das Internet die Geschichten dahinter zutage fördert, bleibt vieles im Unklaren, weil die Beteiligten nicht darüber sprechen dürfen. Eine anonyme Betroffene drückt es in einem Forum so aus: «Man fühlt sich wie ein Stück Fleisch. Es gibt nicht genug heisses Wasser, um sich nach so einem Tag wieder sauber zu fühlen.»

«Yacht girls» hoffen auf gute Kontakte und eine Karriere

«Yacht girls» sind kein gewöhnliches Bootspersonal. Sie unterhalten nicht das Schiff, sondern die Gäste. Und anders als manche Bilder vermuten liessen, sind sie nicht bloss zum Vergnügen da – zumindest nicht zu ihrem eigenen.

Der Begriff «yacht girls» tauchte erstmals 2013 im Zusammenhang mit den Filmfestspielen in Cannes auf. Die amerikanische Journalistin Dana Kennedy publizierte damals im «Hollywood Reporter» eine grosse Recherche zu einem Phänomen, das vor Ort als offenes Geheimnis gelte: Zahlreiche junge Models sollen mit reichen und mächtigen Männern auf Jachten «platziert» worden sein, für eine sehr gute Bezahlung, leicht bekleidet, um die männlichen Gäste zu unterhalten – und manchmal auch mehr als das. So legen es zumindest manche Berichte nahe.

«Yachting» sei im Grunde nichts anderes als ein gehobenes Wort für Prostitution auf See.

Nun sind Escort-Frauen für mächtige Männer noch nichts Aussergewöhnliches. Doch bei «yacht girls» handelt es sich nicht um professionelle Escorts, sondern um junge Models oder Schauspielerinnen, die noch am Anfang ihrer Karriere stehen. Sie werden nicht nur mit Geld auf die Jachten gelockt, ihnen werden vor allem wertvolle Kontakte in der Branche versprochen.

Laut Kennedy passiert es mit «verstörender Häufigkeit», dass Frauen sich «ihren Weg zum Ruhm ‹erjachten›». Die französisch-amerikanische Schauspielerin Carole Raphaelle Davis sagt gegenüber der Journalistin: Nur wenige Leute realisierten, «wie viele Prominente und Society-Ladys einige Jahre als hochpreisige Prostituierte verbracht» hätten.

In diesem Zusammenhang tauchen gewisse Namen immer wieder auf: Angeblich sollen Supermodels wie Bella und Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber oder auch Miranda Kerr vor ihrem grossen Durchbruch als «yacht girls» gearbeitet haben. Überprüfen lässt sich das nicht. Fakt ist: Von ihnen existieren diverse Fotos auf Jachten. Sie stammen aus einer Zeit, bei der zumindest angezweifelt werden darf, ob sie sich damals diesen Lebensstil mit ein paar Modeljobs tatsächlich selbst hätten leisten können. Viele sehen darin den Beleg dafür, dass «yachting» ein entscheidender Karrieretreiber in Hollywood ist.

2007 flog ein Prostitutionsring am Filmfestival auf

Nun ist das Feiern auf Jachtpartys – selbst gegen Bezahlung – noch nicht mit Prostitution gleichzusetzen. Allerdings scheint der Übergang fliessend zu sein, wie die Journalistin Dana Kennedy schreibt: «Die Grenze zwischen professionellen Prostituierten und Hollywoods B- oder C-Schauspielerinnen, die Bezahlung gegen Sex annehmen, ist teilweise sehr schwammig.»

Dass das Phänomen «yacht girls» mehr als blosse Gerüchte sind, wurde spätestens mit der Festnahme des libanesischen Geschäftsmannes Elie Nahas im Jahr 2007 klar. Nahas war Inhaber einer Modelagentur sowie ein enger Vertrauter des libyschen Diktator-Sohns Mutassim Ghadhafi. Letzteres brachte ihm den Beinamen «Ghadhafi’s Pimp» ein. Der Grund: Mit Nahas flog damals ein ganzer Prostitutionsring um das Filmfestival in Cannes auf. Der Libanese vermittelte die Dienste von Escorts, Models und Schönheitsköniginnen an wohlhabende Männer in Hotels, Villen und Jachten. Als die Polizei ihn am Flughafen in Paris verhaftete, waren acht Frauen bei ihm – eine davon minderjährig.

Der Anwalt einer französischen Antiprostitutionsorganisation, die im Prozess als Zivilklägerin auftrat, erklärte später, dass einige der Frauen unter falschen Versprechungen nach Cannes gelockt worden seien. Sie hätten nicht gewusst, worauf sie sich einliessen.

Der verhaftete Geschäftsmann Nahas selbst bestritt damals gegenüber dem « Hollywood Reporter », jemals einen Prostitutionsring betrieben zu haben. Er gab aber zu, Frauen für das Festival nach Cannes eingeflogen zu haben. Schliesslich sei Sex das zweitgrösste Geschäft des Festivals.

Elie Nahas beteuerte, wie verbreitet «yacht girls» in Cannes seien: «Während des Festivals sind 30 bis 40 Luxusjachten im Hafen. Auf jedem Boot sind etwa 10 Frauen, gewöhnlich Models, halbnackt oder nackt. Da sind Drogen, Drinks und schöne Frauen.» Die Schönsten von ihnen könnten bis zu 40 000 Dollar pro Nacht verdienen.

Sein Job sei es unter anderem gewesen, die Frauen vom Flughafen abzuholen und sie zu kleineren Booten zu bringen. Mit diesen seien sie dann zu den Luxusjachten gebracht worden. Was dort passiert sei, wisse er nicht: «Vielleicht haben sie sich einfach gut unterhalten.»

Das «yacht girl»-Phänomen wurde zum Tiktok-Trend

Der Skandal der Filmfestspiele um Elie Nahas liegt 17 Jahre zurück. Seither hat #MeToo die Entertainment-Branche erschüttert, die Gesellschaft wurde für Machtstrukturen sensibilisiert. Und doch scheint sich am Geschäft mit den «yacht girls» wenig verändert zu haben. Im Gegenteil: Das Phänomen beschränkt sich längst nicht mehr auf Cannes. Es ist zu einem Social-Media-Trend geworden.

Da sind auf der einen Seite zahlreiche Videos, die das Leben als «yacht girl» anpreisen:

@bellawolfgang Guys!!! I graduated top of my class 😜🤪 yacht girl summer is alive and well in Monaco. I’m just out here making all my single ladies proud 🫶🏼 #hotgirlsummer #yachtgirlsummer #eurotrip #eurosummer #traveltok #travelwithme #singlelife ♬ original sound - Bella

Sie zeichnen ein luxuriöses Leben, das sich die meisten User niemals leisten könnten.

@sznevie #moodboard #fyp #richlifestyle #luxury #luxurylifestyle #rich #richlife #luxurylife #money ♬ original sound - 𝓔

Auf der anderen Seite berichten Frauen auf Social Media und in Foren immer wieder über ihre teilweise verstörenden Erfahrungen als «yacht girl». Auf Anfrage will sich keine von ihnen näher äussern. Das liegt auch daran, dass Beteiligte in der Regel sogenannte «non-disclosure agreements», also Verschwiegenheitsverträge, unterschreiben müssen.

So bleibt es häufig bei sogenannten «blind items»: anonymen Forums- und Social-Media-Berichten. Einer der bekanntesten zum Thema «yacht girls» ist der Forumsbeitrag einer anonymen Schauspielerin. Er lässt sich – wie praktisch alle «blind items» – nicht verifizieren. Darin erzählt die Frau, wie sie durch eine Schauspielkollegin zum «yachting» kam, als ihre Serie eingestellt worden sei.

Über die Männer an Bord berichtet sie: «Im Wasser wurden wir begrapscht. Und wenn wir aus dem Wasser kamen, wollten sie mit einem duschen. Wenn eines der Models beim Feiern ohnmächtig wurde, begrapschten sie es und filmten alles. Es war wie ein mehrstündiger Übergriff, der gefilmt wird.»

Outing eines berühmten «yacht girl»

Mehrere Personen aus der Entertainment-Industrie haben solche und ähnliche Geschichten aus der Jachtwelt bestätigt. Eine der wenigen Prominenten, die zugegeben haben, ein «yacht girl» gewesen zu sein, ist Emily Ratajkowski. In seinem Buch «My Body» sprach das Model 2021 darüber, Geld verdient zu haben, indem es an Partys von reichen Männern ging, in Klubs, auf Festivals und auf Jachten.

Sie schreibt: «Ich fragte, wann es okay wäre, zu gehen. Er sah auf die Uhr: ‹Wahrscheinlich noch ein paar Stunden.› Ich wurde daran erinnert: Ich war nicht frei, zu kommen und zu gehen, wie ich wollte.»

Ratajkowski heizte mit ihren Memoiren viele Spekulationen darüber an, wer als «yacht girl» gearbeitet haben könnte. Sie hat darin zwar andere Frauen beschrieben, aber nie namentlich erwähnt. Doch: Ratajkowski hatte 2017 mehrere Videos auf Instagram geteilt, in denen sie mit den Models Bella Hadid und Hailey Baldwin auf einer Jacht feiert – während des Filmfestivals in Cannes.

Namentlich genannt hat sie hingegen einen Geschäftsmann, der als Kunde an Jachtpartys fungiert habe: den malaysischen Investor und Jachtbesitzer Jho Low. Er ist ein inzwischen verurteilter Finanzbetrüger.

Jho Low war bekannt dafür, Kontakte zu diversen It-Girls zu pflegen. 2010 etwa liess er sich beim Feiern mit Paris Hilton in Cannes ablichten. Und laut Medienberichten soll das Model Kendall Jenner 2019 seinen Geburtstag auf Jho Lows Jacht gefeiert haben.

Sind Jachten ein Ort der Gesetzlosigkeit?

Emily Ratajkowski berichtet: Immer wieder habe ihr Manager sie zu Events mit Männern geschickt, bei denen sie nicht gewusst habe, was sie erwarten würde. Oft habe sie sich an solchen Orten nicht sicher gefühlt. In einem späteren Interview erzählte sie, mehrere Dinge erlebt zu haben, die sie heute als sexuelle Übergriffe bezeichnen würde. Doch die Situationen seien oftmals nicht schwarz-weiss.

Und genau hier liegt der problematische Teil des «yachting»: Laut vielen Berichten wissen die Frauen meist nicht, worauf sie sich einlassen. Damit verschwimmt nicht nur die Linie zwischen Model- und Escortjob, sondern in der Folge auch die Grenze zwischen Einverständnis und Übergriff.

Das liegt auch in der Natur der Sache: Jachten im Meer muten wie eine Art gesetzfreier Raum an. Was in internationalen Gewässern passiert, interessiert oft niemand. Und überhaupt: Wohin flüchtet man in einem Schiff auf offener See?

Ein Jachtangestellter erzählte 2021 in einem «Vice»-Interview : «Viele Jachtbesitzer verhalten sich wie auf einem Spielplatz, auf dem alles erlaubt ist.» Er berichtet von sexuellen Übergriffen, die häufig vorkämen, und davon, dass Opfer zumeist ausbezahlt oder unter Druck gesetzt würden.

Es sind diese seltenen Momente, die einen kleinen, aber düsteren Einblick in jene Welt gewähren, die den meisten Menschen verborgen bleibt.

Auf Social Media aber scheint die Welt der #Yachtgirls nicht düster, sondern pastellfarben, luxuriös und verlockend: Ein Glas Champagner steht auf einem Deck, der Blick schwenkt zum Ozean. Darüber steht: «Es ist ein ‹hot girl summer›: Lasst uns Champagner trinken und auf Jachten tanzen!»

Das Geschäft mit der totalen Freiheit: «Der Jachtmarkt ist eine unstrukturierte Wildwestbranche»

Irrungen eines escort-girls – emma cline seziert die amerikanische gesellschaft mit messerscharfem blick, luxusjachten aus italien: die superreichen stehen bei den herstellern schlange. reiche russen umgehen die sanktionen mit doppelpässen, mehr von esthy baumann-rüdiger (eru), nirgends in lateinamerika werden die menschen älter als auf einer kleinen halbinsel in costa rica. was ist ihr geheimnis, «die migros wird zunehmend wie die anderen detailhändler, sie wird damit austausch- und ersetzbar» – was mitarbeiter und kunden denken, das ende des migros-märchens: wie das speziellste unternehmen der schweiz sich demontiert, von hollywood bis bilderberg: der bürgenstock war stets rückzugsort der reichen und mächtigen, tausende menschen in der schweiz haben weibliche und männliche geschlechtsmerkmale. wünschen sie sich einen dritten geschlechtseintrag, mehr zum thema filmfestival cannes, ein energiegeladenes porträt einer sexarbeiterin in brooklyn gewinnt die goldene palme: der aufstrebende regisseur sean baker steht für ein neues «new hollywood», wieso sich queere menschen mit palästina identifizieren, bleibt ein rätsel. der film «la belle de gaza» erzählt von arabischen transfrauen, die nach israel geflohen sind, die sp-bundesrätin sagt: «wegen mir muss nicht in der id stehen, ob ich eine frau, ein mann oder they bin. ich bin elisabeth baume-schneider», cannes: hässlicher geht’s nicht, kultur: schauspieler ray stevenson 58-jährig gestorben +++ britischer schriftsteller martin amis ist tot, den kultregisseur hat er im lift getroffen, für den sultan bereiste er die welt – und zweimal entkam er dem tod: die staunenswerte geschichte des genfer produzenten michel merkt, kostenlose onlinespiele, kreuzworträtsel, bubble shooter, power of two.

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1MDB-linked businessman Jho Low was in Phuket awaiting Najib's victory during Malaysia election: Report

PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian authorities looking for controversial businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, may not have far to look.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sunday (May 20) that Mr Low, the alleged mastermind behind the multi-billion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal, was in the Thai resort island of Phuket earlier this month in anticipation of the victory of his ally, former prime minister Najib Razak, at Malaysia's general election.

However the WSJ report said Mr Low later left Thailand and has "struck a more careful posture" since Datuk Seri Najib's Barisan Nasional was defeated by the Pakatan Harapan alliance on May 9 .

The report also alleged that up until the election, Mr Low had remained in direct contact with Mr Najib and also with people in Mr Najib's inner circle.

It also stated that despite various investigations launched against the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) by various countries, Mr Low continued to party and sail around Asia in a super-yacht.

"Low was so nonchalant he held a party in February with celebrity friends in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau," the report said.

WSJ also stated in its report that Mr Low's lawyers said he declined to be interviewed or reveal where he was.

Chinese daily Nanyang Siang Pau reported last week that Mr Low was hiding in Taiwan .

Malaysia does not have an extradition treaty with either China or Taiwan.

Malaysia's newly-appointed Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has said that the government "roughly knows" where to find Mr Low.

Some US$4.5 billion (S$6 billion) has allegedly been misappropriated from 1MDB, with reports that about US$700 million had gone to Mr Najib's personal bank accounts.

Mr Low, a former consultant to 1MDB, denies any wrongdoing and has not been seen in public since 2015.

Bloomberg reported last Tuesday (May 15) that Mr Low has been ordered by US authorities to turn over his US$250 million (S$336 million) "Equanimity" yacht , part of assets the US claims he and his accomplices acquired with money they siphoned from 1MDB.

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Goldman Sachs said to try to avoid pleading guilty in 1MDB scandal

Malaysia's ex-PM Najib has right to take action over audio clips, says anti-graft chief

'You're the PM, take charge,' Rosmah allegedly tells Najib in 1MDB-linked audio clips

Najib's lawyer refutes claim by Jho Low he is 'victim' in 1MDB scandal

Prosecutors seeking to impeach Najib as witness in 1MDB-linked trial

1MDB scandal: Fugitive Jho Low tells ST he was just an intermediary

Jho Low tells ST why he is not returning to face justice

Fresh charges against Najib over 1MDB kickbacks unlikely

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