Razak Baginda may be next to be questioned.
MACC has re-opened its investigations into the purchase of two Scorpene-class submarines when former premier Najib Abdul Razak was the defence minister.
Sources told Malaysiakini this was the reason Najib was summoned to the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya this morning.
“The case has been reopened,” said a high-ranking MACC officer, who declined to be named.
Sources said investigators working on the case in which kickbacks were allegedly paid for the purchase of the submarines from France in 2002, might also call in others to facilitate the probe.
This, according to one of the sources, includes Najib’s former close associate Abdul Razak Baginda.
The submarines, which were purchased by Malaysia to beef up the Royal Malaysian Navy’s fleet, had been named KD Tunku Abdul Rahman and KD Tun Razak with the former having arrived in Malaysia in September 2009 followed by the latter in July 2010.
Media reports stated that Najib arrived at the MACC headquarters about 9.30am to facilitate investigation over an unspecified case.
Mongolian national Altantuya Shaaribuu, who was murdered by two former elite Malaysian police personnel, was also implicated in the deal.
However, documents which surfaced in 2013, including a contract signed on June 5, 2002, between the Malaysian government and French supplier DCN International SA, Spanish supplier Izzar Construcciones Navales, and Malaysian service provider Perimekar Sdn Bhd had debunked this.
Abdul Razak, who confessed to having an affair with her, was acquitted of abetting the crime.
Najib has repeatedly denied having any links with the case.
In May 2018, former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram urged the authorities to re-open the probe into the Scorpene deal.
He said it is necessary to relook into the purported kickbacks in the case owing to the other allegations related to it.
“This includes the handing over of suitcases of cash, coupled with a spending spree in Paris as well as the dastardly murder of Altantuya.
“One may well ask why former attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail did not secure the arrest and detention of two police officers pending the public prosecutor’s appeal to the Federal Court,” he added.
Former police special operations personnel chief inspector Azilah Hadri and corporal Sirul Azhar Umar were found guilty of murdering Altantuya in January 2015 and sentenced to death.
However, Sirul had fled to Australia when the pair was acquitted prior to the Federal Court overturning the decision. – Malaysiakini