Suaram and C4 say it is no longer an option to remain silent and hope the case will go away.
NGOs call for:
- MACC to reopen case
- Abdul Razak Baginda to clarify his role
- PM to explain the various transactions to clear his name
- Parliament to set up a royal commission of inquiry
Two French former defence industry executives have been placed under preliminary investigation as part of a probe into the sale of submarines to Malaysia, an official in the French judiciary said on Wednesday.
Reuters reported that the source said Philippe Japiot and Jean-Paul Perrier, former executives at DCNS and Thales, had been placed under investigation as part of a long-running probe into alleged kickbacks from the Malaysian arms deal in 2002.
Japiot and Perrier deny any wrongdoing, French media reports said.
The investigation began after Malaysian human rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) alleged that the sale resulted in some US$130 million (£100 million) of commissions being paid to a company linked to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was defence minister at the time.
The Malaysian government has denied any allegations of corruption concerning the submarine sale.
Yesterday, FMT reported that two prominent NGOs want the MACC case initiated in 2012 to be reopened.
Suaram and the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) said Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali should reopen the case and allow the mutual legal assistance requested by France to resolve the matter once and for all.
The NGOs also said that Abdul Razak Baginda must give his full cooperation to the French prosecution team and MACC to clarify his role and clear his name.
They added that he had been “instrumental” in getting the Scorpene deal negotiated for the Malaysian government, being the adviser of Najib who was defence minister at the time.
The NGOs said Najib should be courageous enough to explain in the coming parliamentary session the various transactions, including the alleged kickbacks and use of shell companies to clear his name of various corruption allegations.
“It is no longer an option to remain silent and hope the case will go away,” said Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy and C4 executive director Cynthia Gabriel.
The NGOs also urged the Parliament to set up a royal commission of inquiry into the matter.