The US justice department (DoJ) said the condominium unit was purchased for the benefit of fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho’s personal assistant, Catherine Tan, who retained the rental proceeds from the unit, which have also been forfeited.

The court order brings to a close a civil forfeiture case, filed in the US district court for the central district of California, seeking the recovery of over US$6 million (RM23.8 million) in assets linked to an international conspiracy to launder funds misappropriated from 1MDB.

In a statement, DoJ noted that the Malaysian government created 1MDB to promote the nation’s economic development through global partnerships and foreign direct investments.

“Its funds were intended to be used for improving the wellbeing of the Malaysian people,” it said.

“Instead, funds held by 1MDB and proceeds of bonds issued for and on behalf of 1MDB were misappropriated and spent by Low and his co-conspirators on a wide variety of extravagant items.”

It said these items included luxury homes and properties in Beverly Hills, California, New York, and London; a 300-foot superyacht; and fine art by Monet and Van Gogh.

The funds were also used in numerous business investments, including a boutique hotel in Beverly Hills, the movie production company that made The Wolf of Wall Street, the redevelopment of the Park Lane Hotel in Manhattan, and shares in EMI, the largest private music-rights holder.

Low faces multiple charges, including corruption and money laundering, in the US and Malaysia over the key role he allegedly played in the 1MDB scandal.

He has consistently denied wrongdoing and his whereabouts are unknown.

Last month, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said Malaysia had successfully recovered RM31.3 billion, or 74.53% of the RM42 billion misappropriated from 1MDB, as of 2025.

Then MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said the percentage of recovered misappropriated funds was higher than the international standard of about 60-70%.