KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s criminal charges are wholly unrelated to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDD) and the government’s seizure of the RM1.08 billion yacht named Equanimity, his lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said today.

Shafee, who is leading Najib’s eight-member defence team, was responding to reports linking fresh money laundering charges involving RM42 million slapped on the former prime minister today.

“I want to stress, it has nothing to do with 1MDB, nothing to do with the issue of the yacht that has just come to Port Klang.

“I do not know the timing of it being done the way, perhaps to confuse the issue; but I must stress it has got nothing to do with 1MDB or the yacht,” he told reporters at the Jalan Duta Court Complex lobby.

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This comes as the controversial billionaire Jho Low’s superyacht docked at the Boustead Cruise Centre Terminal here at 12.40pm yesterday.

The yacht, seized through a mutual legal assistance agreement between the Indonesian and Malaysian governments, was brought here by Indonesian police, under heavy escort by local marine police teams from Johor and Port Klang.

Shafee then reiterated that both incidents were unrelated to charges against Najib, when quizzed on the timing of the seizure.

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“I hope they have not arranged the coincidental arrival of the yacht in Port Klang with the sudden decision to charge my client today,” he added.