Judge Hayatul Akmal Abdul Aziz extended the ex-parte injunction – which expired today – against the father and son during case management.
A Mareva injunction is a temporary order which restrains them from disposing of their assets until a result is reached in the case between 1MDB and the Lows, and one other.
Meanwhile, the Lows’ application to set aside the ex-parte injunction will be heard on May 25.
On March 15, the court granted 1MDB’s application to obtain the Mareva injunction, which barred Jho Low from disposing of his assets locally and overseas. The civil action suit counts Jho Low as having US$1.03 billion in disposable assets.
The court also barred Larry from disposing of his assets, which amount up to US$401 million, locally and abroad.
The father and son were also required to disclose their assets, locally and overseas to 1MDB.
From a total amount of US$1.4 billion, they are allowed to withdraw RM20,000 each, every month, to pay for their legal fees and living expenses.
In its original application two weeks ago, 1MDB also noted that Jho Low and Larry are said to be “highly-wanted fugitives who have disappeared from Malaysia to avoid being compelled to answer the various criminal charges against them”.
“The sessions court has issued warrants of arrest against them in 2018, in relation to charges under Section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 for receiving and transferring funds obtained from money-laundering activities.
“Interpol has issued a ‘Red Notice’ for the purposes of tracking and capturing them and bringing them back to face the criminal charges against them,” the application said.
Last year, 1MDB and its four subsidiaries – 1MDB Energy Holdings Ltd, 1MDB Energy Ltd, 1MDB Energy (Langat) Ltd and Global Diversified Investment Company Ltd (formerly known as 1MDB Global Investments Ltd) – filed a US$3.78 billion suit against Jho Low, his father Larry, mother Goh Gaik Ewe, sister May Lin, brother Taek Szen and his aide, Tan Kim Loong.
1MDB claimed it was manipulated by a group of individuals, including former prime minister Najib Razak and Jho Low. It claimed this facilitated a large-scale and long-term fraud which resulted in billions of ringgit being misappropriated into privately controlled accounts for the benefit of various fraudsters, including the defendants.
In his defence, Jho Low said the lawsuit was “redundant” and amounted to a “double claim of funds that had been voluntarily forfeited to the US Department of Justice”.