'Court probing Razak’s role in Scorpene deal'

Suaram’s case filed in France against French naval company DCNS in 2011, on kickbacks allegedly paid out in Malaysia’s RM7.3 billion Scorpene submarine deal, is still “alive” according to a former director of the NGO, Cynthia Gabriel.

As the case was filed during her tenure, she still maintains an interest in it.

Gabriel (right) said to the best of her knowledge, the NGO, which filed the case in Paris in 2011, had not abandoned the case.

She said the court was trying to confirm whether political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, who escaped trial and conviction for the murder of Mongolian national, Altantuya Shaariibuu, had acted in a formal capacity for Malaysia’s Defence Ministry.

Gabriel said so far, Abdul Razak, believed to be living in the United Kingdom now, was featured as a “friend or close ally” of Najib Abdul Razak, who at that time was deputy prime minister.

Najib, who is now Malaysia’s prime minister, was also defence minister during the procurement of the submarines, for which the deals were inked in 2002.

“There is no certainty that Abdul Razak had acted as a public sector officer. Whether he acted in a formal capacity for the Defence Ministry or as a friend of Najib, is now being determined by the court.

“His role was as the main negotiator in the procurement process,” said Gabriel, one of the founders of the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4), an anti-graft watchdog.

She said Suaram had asked several legal bigwigs and professors of law to actually study the case, to determine if Najib’s aides, like Abdul Razak, can be subjected to the The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) convention.

The OECD convention only applies to wrongdoing by public sector officials.

“The Malaysian government should answer and collaborate with the French courts in this matter but so far they have not,” Gabriel claimed.

Alleged kickbacks

Suaram had alleged that DCNS paid 114.9 million Euro (RM452 million) in kickbacks to Perimekar Sdn Bhd -  a company partially owned by Abdul Razak, in the sale of two Scorpene-class submarines to Malaysia.

Both the government and the “architect” of the deal, one Jasbir Singh Chahl, had defended the Scorpene contract award, saying it was made on a transparent basis to “the technically most qualified party on a commercially competitive negotiated price.”

In an interview with Bernama, Jasbir had explained that the contract between the Malaysian government and Perimekar Sdn Bhd was for “defined scope of works”, and provision of such services was within commercial norms.

Bernama had reported that Jasbir said Perimekar was nominated as the local vehicle to spearhead the submarine project, while Terasasi Sdn Bhd (TSB) was incorporated to serve as an external service provider to advise and assist Thales.

Jasbir had also claimed that Altantuya, who was murdered by two former bodyguards of Najib in 2006, was not involved when the deal was negotiated and finally signed in 2002.

However, during the initial court case into her murder, Abdul Razak had revealed that Altantuya (right) was his lover, and had come to Malaysia to “blackmail” him.

Her father, Setev Shaariibuu had always asserted that his daughter acted as a translator for Abdul Razak and was allegedly involved in business deals with him.

Last week, the Federal Court upheld the decision of the High Court, to sentence to death two former police special action unit (UTK) members, former chief inspector Azilah Hadri and corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, for Altantuya’s murder although the motive for killing her has never been established.

Meanwhile, Gabriel pointed out that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was reported as applying to use the Mutual Legal Assistance Act (MLA) to get help from the French authorities in its probe into the Malaysia’s purchase of the subs.

Gabriel also revealed that the court had interviewed three French personnel and is planning to indict two of them; one was the financial director of DCNS, a shipyard builder based in Paris.

“He was found to have abused his power and violated the OECD convention, which prohibits commissions and kickbacks to public officials,” Gabriel said.

Gabriel is aware that there have been questions over Suaram’s expenses for the case, dubbed Ops Scorpene, but pointed out the updated accounts for 2013 is on the NGO’s website.

The last fundraising exercise Suaram did was in July 2013, and the balance showed is RM30,598.88.

Scorpene case will be a long drawn out affair

The indictment of the former French President and Najib becoming PM were cited as reasons for the delay.

PETALING JAYA: Suaram is asking the public to be patient over the Scorpene scandal as the French
Courts’ investigation is expected to be a long drawn out affair.

Cynthia Gabriel of Suaram explained that among the reasons for the delay was Najib’s rise to the post of prime minister of Malaysia. She said this development complicated things for the French investigation as he could no longer be subpoenaed due to the diplomatic immunity accorded to him.

She also cited the recent indictment of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy as another reason because one of the two judges in the Scorpene case was moved to Sarkozy’s corruption investigation.

Gabriel said, “Some people have decided there is no case. But there is a strong case here and it is still in progress. We are entering into the third year of the case.

“After 2012, the case was elevated to a higher court in the French judiciary system, ‘Tribunal de grande instance’ parallel to the High Court of Malaysia.”

Gabriel added, “The case was elevated to the higher courts with two new independent judges appointed, who also act as investigators as the case was getting more complicated.”

According to Gabriel, Suaram’s initial complaint of RM146 million as a service charge to Perimekar Sdn Bhd raised further questions and revealed a complex web of illicit transactions involving Malaysian companies set up in Hong Kong.

Among the companies were Terasasi (Hong Kong) Ltd, owned by Abdul Razak Baginda, a political analyst and confidant of Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Terasasi is alleged to have sold secret documents belonging to the Royal Malaysian Navy to French ship builders Thales Group.

Terasasi is also alleged to have received payments for the transaction from Luxembourg, Malta and Belgium, according to documents released by French prosecutors.

Gabriel recalled warning the press back in March 2012 that the probe on Scorpene was going to be a long drawn out affair, but felt it was important to remind the public that the “journey to reveal the truth” that started in 2010 is still very much on course.

Suaram first filed the complaint in the French judiciary in February 2010, enquiring about the formation of Perimekar after shipbuilding giant DCNS signed the deal with the Malaysian Defence Ministry, then headed by Najib.

Gabriel said, “A similar Pakistani case which involved the same French companies, took about 12 years to conclude.

“It’s going to be about the same time frame for us.

“It’s going to be a crazy wait.”

French judges 'meant to process' Altantuya's murder

The question of Altantuya Shariibuu’s murder is “meant to be processed” by the French judges currently conducting an inquiry into alleged corruption in the Scorpene case, said French lawyer William Bourdon.

As such, Bourdon (left), who is representing human rights NGO Suaram in the Scorpene case, said that the testimony of lawyer Americk Sidhu would help to reveal its connections to supposed “corrupt activities”.

Americk had prepared the explosive first statutory declaration (SD) by private investigator P  Balasubramaniam, better known as PI Bala, in 2008 pertaining to the murder of the Mongolian national.

Bourdon was responding to a statement made by negotiator Jasbir Singh Chah, the ‘architect’ of the Scorpene deal, on Saturday that Altantuya had no role in the negotiations and that the French courts were not looking at her death.

“...For the possible links between the circumstances around Altantuya's death and corrupt activities, even if the French judges are not seized of Altantuya's murder directly, this question of her murder is meant to be processed by the French judges.

“Accordingly, the testimony of Americk Sidhu should help to reveal the different connections that should be made with corrupt activities, as well as other testimonies that would likely be received by judges very soon,” Bourdon said in a statement today.

Altantuya was said to be a French interpreter for defence analyst Abdul Razak Baginda (left), with whom she was believed to be have romantic links. He was a central figure in the sale of two Scorpene submarines to Malaysia.

Altantuya was, however, found dead in October 2006, having been blown up with C4 explosives in a jungle clearing in Shah Alam.

Perimekar contract 'in line with commercial norms'

Bourdon also stated that as steps to hear Jasbir as a witness at the inquiry in France are still ongoing, “only statements made under oath before the judges will count”.

He added that results of the investigations will only be made known upon its completion, but the two judges are still in the midst of research and verifications in the case, including on Malaysian consulting company Perimekar Sdn Bhd, which had received money from the Malaysian government in the deal.

In 2006, deputy defence minister Zainal Abidin Zin stated that the commissions were paid "voluntarily" to Perimekar by the French parties in the deal.

However, in 2008, then defence minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told Parliament the 114.96 million euros was paid out to to Perimekar, for "coordination services" and not as commissions.

According to the national news agency Bernama on Saturday, Jasbir in a statement had said that the contract between the Malaysian government and Perimekar was in line with commercial norms and that the payments fell within the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development guidelines.

He also noted that the price negotiated was “attractive” as the price for a single Scorpene Class submarine today was around RM6 billion while two were purchased by the government for less. at about RM4.2 billion.

He also said that Perimekar was nominated as the local vehicle to spearhead the project.

Hong Kong-based Terasasi Sdn Bhd, he added, was brought in as the external service provider to assist French company Thales International, also known as Thint Asia, which sold the submarines in a deal inked in 2002 when Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was defence minister.

Abdul Razak Baginda is one of the directors of Terasasi.

Scorpene scandal: Cops call on Suaram director

Cynthia Gabriel to give a statement to the police after reports were lodged against Suaram for allegedly spreading false information on the Scorpene deal.

PETALING JAYA: The director of Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) Cynthia Gabriel has been called by the police to give a statement after reports were lodged against the NGO for allegedly spreading lies about the RM6.7 billion Scorpene submarine deal.

She told FMT that the police will, on Monday, serve the notice for her to do so.

Alleging that the purchase of the two French-made submarines in 2002 is tainted with corruption and tying it to the slaying of the Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, Suaram initiated a legal action in the French court in a bid to seek justice.

They also claimed that the defense ministry, which was helmed by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak then, has sold Malaysia navy documents to the shipmaker DCNS to aid the entity in its bid for the contract.

However, the case took a twist when a middle man in the deal who has a fallout with Najib’s aide and thought to be turning his back against the government, told the the New Straits Times recently that there is no wrongdoing in the deal.

The middle man, Jasbir Singh Chahl, also denied that the Altantuya was part of the negotiating team.

Altantunya was alleged to have been the French translator for the government.

Cynthia said following the news report, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has instigated the people to lodge police report against Suaram.

“It seems that they are reigniting a fresh round of harassment on Suaram. They will use anything to silence the whistleblower. The police’s priority is getting more and more wrong,” she said.

Meanwhile, she also said Jasbir has given a 270-page long testimony in the French court.

The next witness in line is lawyer Americk Singh Sidhu.

Scorpene negotiator asked to reveal reason behind sacking

Scorpene deal: Jasbir must tell the truth

Suaram urges Jasbir Singh Chahl to come clean with all details linked to the Scorpene submarine purchase.

KUALA LUMPUR: Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) today urged Jasbir Singh Chahl to come clean on the Scorpene submarine procurement as he was the initial negotiator.

Suaram’s spokesperson Cynthia Gabriel (centre) confirmed through their lawyers in France, William Bourdon and Apoline Cagnat, that Jasbir Singh is a witness to the ongoing criminal inquiry there.

“This coincides with his own admissions in the NST article on July 27 that he has been in close contact and has been cooperating with the French investigators,” she said.

“His statement further vindicates that the Suaram initiated inquiry at the Tribunal de Grande Instance is making sound progress and is gaining traction,” she added.

Suaram stated three demands, which they claimed, if adhered to, will be able to clear the air in the controversial Scorpene submarine deal.

“Firstly, Jasbir should clear the doubts around the corruption commissions and kickback. The NST interview barely covered any of that.

“He was the initial negotiator, he must have all the information in regards to the Scorpene deal. Jasbir must act with full responsibility and come clean on what actually happened,” she said.

Secondly, Suaram urged Jasbir and all other witnesses listed to cooperate with the French inquiry to bring the truth behind the controversy.

Thirdly, Suaram urged the MACC to break it’s silence and take necessary action on the parties involved.

“MACC must drop its long and pregnant silence over this case. They must continue investigations as it is about time to nab the ‘big fish’ involved in corruption,” she added.

Suaram also highlighted the fact that Jasbir had previously denied his involvement in the Scorpene procurement.

“Why did he initially deny that he was involved? Why is he coming clean now? Whatever his motivation was to break his silence after more than a decade, Malaysians will never know.

“We welcome his sudden willingness to speak about the controversial deal, of which he was a key negotiator. He must be honest and reveal the whole truth,” she added.

Close to the truth

Suaram also urged Jasbir to explain his fallout with defence analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and on his RM50 million lawsuit against the latter.

“Why was Jasbir ousted from negotiations and replaced by Razak Baginda? He has to explain every detail till he was no longer involved in the negotiations.

“Also, a RM50 million suit was filed against Razak Baginda. Jasbir allegedly agreed on an out-of-court settlement later. Why weren’t these details articulated in the NST article,” she asked.

Cynthia claimed that Suaram believes the investigations are at its peak at the moment and are hoping that the people of Malaysia wouldn’t give up on them to deliver the truth.

“We are close to the truth, we know it. All we have to do is to wait for Jasbir to help us in our crusade for justice,” she said.

Hong Kong, France join forces on Scorpene case

Terasasi, the Hong-Kong based firm owned by Abdul Razak, is now in the international spotlight as two countries probe it for kickbacks and money-laundering, says Suaram.
VIDEO INSIDE

PETALING JAYA: French and Hong Kong authorities are working together to expose corruption by Malaysian-owned firm Terasasi, which is involved in the multi-billion purchase of Scorpene submarines.

Human rights NGO Suaram said that a list of those who received kickbacks from Terasasi would be disclosed soon by the French courts.

Terasasi is based in Hong Kong and owned by Abdul Razak Baginda, who was acquitted in 2008 of the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu.

“No one ever really knew the role Terasasi played, nor that it was owned by Abdul Razak Baginda and his father. Now Hong Kong is working with the court in France to come up with a list of recipients of kickbacks,” Cynthia Gabriel, who is Suaram director, told a packed press conference here today.

“It’s not just kickbacks and bribery, but it also involves money laundering. That is what is being investigated, although we can’t disclose who exactly the investigating authorities are,” she added.

Lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, meanwhile, said that she believed they would learn of the recipients

within one week.

Fresh from her trip to France with Gabriel, Fadiah revealed that the judges probing the alleged corruption in the Scorpene deal were also keen to investigate the circumstances involving Altantuya’s death.

“Apart from the corruption and scandal [in the Scorpene deal], they are also looking into the [caretaker] Prime Minister [Najib Tun Razak’s] involvement in the murder of Altantuya. So this is going to answer a lot of questions,” she told FMT.

Altantuya, who was Abdul Razak’s lover, was said to have helped the political analyst secure the Scorpene deal with French naval company DCNS.

She was allegedly murdered after demanding millions in payback for her services, according to Abdul Razak’s private investigator, the late P Balasubramaniam.

Balasubramaniam had implicated Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor in the murder in his statutory declaration in 2008, only to reverse his claims a day later before fleeing the country.

But he then told the media that he had made the second statutory declaration under duress, before he died from a heart attack last month.

Balsubramaniam’s lawyer, Americk Singh Sidhu, had then alleged that Cecil Abraham was the senior lawyer behind the drafting of Balasubramaniam’s second statutory declaration.

“So we proffered these two names [Americk and Abraham] to the judges and it has been accepted and we expect them to be called soon to testify,” said Fadiah.

What role did the Scorpene subs play?

Suaram director Kua Kia Soong questions the strategy used against the Sulu intruders in Lahad Datu.

KUALA LUMPUR: Suaram director Kua Kia Soong has questioned the strategy used by the armed forces in Lahad Datu.

“What role did the Scorpene submarines play in the Lahad Datu crisis?

“Is it wise to use jet fighters like the Hornets against a motley group of 250 Sulu men in a 4km radius? Shouldn’t we be using helicopters such as the Apache instead?

“Where was the Navy to prevent the invaders from coming in?” he asked during the launch of Malaysian civil society’s 20-point demands for the 13th general election at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall this morning.

The armed conflict in Lahad Datu began last month when a large group of Sulu men claiming to be soldiers of the Sulu sultan invaded a village in Lahad Datu.

Last week, several policemen who were deployed to Lahad Datu died as a result of mortar attacks by the Sulu men who are from the modern day Philippines.

Yesterday, the Royal Malaysian Air Force conducted air bombardment in the area where the Sulu were believed to be holding up using Hornet jet fighter planes.

Kua also questioned why the policemen deployed there were not equipped with bulletproof vests and safety helmets.

He said this while presenting one of the 20-point demand in light of the upcoming 13th general election

The demand pertaining to the defence sector called for defence cuts and promotion of peace and disarmament.

The demand also called for defence budgets to be below 1% of the Gross Domestic Product, a parliamentary defence committee led by an opposition lawmaker and an independent Ombudsman to oversee the defence budget.

It also called for National Volunteer Corp’s (RELA) power to arrest, detain and carry firearms to be abolished since the police are empowered to do that.

On another note, A Jayanath of Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia (SABM) elaborated on the demand to eradicate institutionalised racism.

He called for education and economic policies to be based on need not race with priority to indigenous, marginalised, and poor communities.

“The New Economic Policy (NEP) must be abolished since it has already ended in 1990. Abolishing something that has ended is not lofty,” he said when asked by the press.

The NEP was tabled in 1971 as a result of the May 13, 1969 clashes with dual prong objectives to end poverty and abolish income inequality.

“Poverty and income inequality are getting worse,” Jayanath said.

The NGOs also wanted amendment 8(A) in Article 153 to be amended because it is not in the original federal constitution. The amendment was passed during the emergency in 1971.

The amendment is part of Article 153, which is seen as controversial because it provides for preferential treatment that favours the Malays and the Bumiputera.

Aside from the two, the balance 18 demands emphasised on human rights, free and fair election, corruption eradication, representative and accountable democracy and freedom of information expression and assembly.

The group of 34 NGOs also demanded for rights of the workers, refugee rights, women, and indigenous rights.

They also demanded for progressive economic and fiscal policy, animal and environment protection. The demands also include public health care, people centred social policy, diverse cultural policy, and public safety.

All the demands will be made available online on the NGO websites and through social networking website, Facebook.

A copy of the demands will also be sent to political party headquarters soon.

Breakthrough in Scorpene probe

Suaram says a key negotiator has agreed to testify.

PETALING JAYA: The French probe into Malaysia’s purchase of two Scorpene submarines has taken a leap forward with a key witness agreeing to assist the investigators, according to the human rights organisation Suaram.

Suaram secretariat member Cynthia Gabriel told FMT that the witness, whom she described as “the key negotiator” in the purchase, offered his co-operation after receiving a second subpoena notice last month.

Suaram filed a complaint with the French authorities in 2009, saying it suspected that corruption was involved in the deal.

Gabriel said the witness was “in a very important position” to shed light on what transpired during negotiations for the purchase.

However, she added, the French had yet to fix a date for him to testify.

Last November, Suaram’s lawyer, Apoline Cagnat, said the French judges investigating the case would subpoena seven witnesses, namely Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Najib confidante Abdul Razak Baginda, private investigator P Balasubramaniam, Bousted Holdings managing director Lodin Wok Kamaruddin, Mongolian national Setev Shaariibuu and Jasbir Singh Chahl, who is said to be Abdul Razak’s right-hand man.

Shaariibuu is the father of Altantuya, the slain mistress of Abdul Razak. News reports have alleged that she served as a translator in the negotiations.

Gabriel said today that the French had pared down the list to three witnesses, including Najib and Abdul Razak.

The Tribunal de Grand Instance in Paris began its inquiry in April last year over Suaram’s claim that French naval firm DCNS had paid some RM452 million as a bribe to Malaysian officials to obtain a contract for the two submarines.

The purchase was made when Najib was defence minister and the case is linked to Altantuya’s murder.

Gabriel also said Suaram recently proposed that businessman Deepak Jaikishan be considered as witness.

Deepak has been in the media limelight since December, when he began making a series of public statements linking Najib’s family to the Altantuya murder.

Gabriel also said the French judges were in the midst of receiving records of the trial of the two policemen found guilty of the murder.

Scorpene: Sekat peguam elak skandal terdedah

French lawyer: Najib, Razak Baginda 'priority witnesses'

Cracks Open in Malaysia's Murder-Sub Scandal

A key figure says he helped PM's wife get a witness out of town
A key figure involved in the cover-up of the spectacular 2006 murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu appears to have gone off the reservation, giving interviews to opposition media hinting at the involvement of Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, in the conspiracy.

Deepak Jaikishan, a Kuala Lumpur-based carpet dealer who reportedly was Mansor’s business partner in the past, allegedly promised RM5 million to get out of the country to a private detective who charged that Najib had been Altantuya’s former lover, after the detective filed a sworn declaration describing his knowledge of the affair between the two and giving excruciating details of sexual practices, among other specifics.

The detective, Perumal Balasubramaniam, was terrorized after being dragooned into a Kuala Lumpur police station and told his family was in danger. He immediately decamped for Chennai, India after being promised the money to recant his declaration. He has remained outside of Malaysia, issuing periodic statements giving additional details of the affairs as well as alleged attempts by Najib’s forces to cajole him into coming back and blame Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim for the whole thing.

Altantuya, named in French police documents as a translator, was murdered in October 2006 by two members of an elite police unit operating under Najib’s jurisdiction. The two were later convicted and sentenced to death for the crime. Abdul Razak Baginda, one of Najib’s closest associates and according to French prosecuting magistrates’ documents the alleged conduit for a €114 million bribe to the United Malays National Organization for the purchase of submarines from the French defense contractor DCN and its subsidiaries, was acquitted of the crime.

Razak Baginda had been Altantuya’s lover, supposedly after Najib had given her up, according to Balasubramaniam’s sworn declaration. Immediately on being cleared without having to put on a defense, Razak Baginda fled to the UK with his wife, where he has remained ever since.

Attempts to reach Jaikishan by Asia Sentinel have been unsuccessful. He first contacted Harakan Daily, the Malay-language newspaper operated by Parti Islam se-Malaysia, the Islamic opposition leg of the three-party Pakatan Rakyat headed by Anwar, and later gave an interview to Malaysiakini, the Kuala Lumpur-based independent online news website, describing additional details. Additional interviews have also been carried by the Malaysia Chronicle, another opposition website.

In the interviews, Jaikishan acknowledged that Najib and Rosmah had asked for his help in dealing with Balasubramaniam. In a translated interview, he told Harakan Daily that “Maybe my mistake was helping in the case of Bala, getting involved in Bala’s case to help the family of the prime minister. That was when I became famous. I don’t like it. I’d like to be low profile.”

In the Harakan interview, Jaikishan compared his involvement in Balasubramaniam’s case to rescuing a drowning friend. “So I jumped into the pool to help a friend,” he said. I felt at that time, I was the only one (they) sought for help.” He quickly responded: “Najib’s family” when asked whom he meant by ‘theirs.’

Jaikisan’s motives are unclear, sources in Kuala Lumpur told Asia Sentinel. One of the articles made a veiled reference to a belief that he hadn’t been given proper thanks for his efforts. One well-wired businessman in Kuala Lumpur said Jaikishan was known to have become close to Muhyiddin Yassin, the deputy prime minister and a putative rival for the premiership should Najib stumble.

“It’s an UMNO play”, the source said. “Deepak claims he is now very close to Muhyiddin. The timing of his solicited interviews – he called the news portals and offered himself – on the eve of the UMNO assembly suggests he wanted to embarrass Najib and Rosmah.”

Another lawyer close to the Mahathir wing of UMNO said that was nonsense, and that there was no trouble between the two. He pointed to the fact that the interviews had all been given to anti-government media as an indication that he was acting for Anwar’s coalition.

In any case, the repeated interviews, including one in which Jaikishan accused the head of the women’ wing of the party of having been involved in a massive land scam that benefited Najib and his family, are significantly damaging to the prime minister, who has been fighting rumors of involvement in the Altantuya affair for the entire six years since the 28-year-old woman was murdered and her body was blown up with C4 military explosives.

Yesterday in Singapore, Apoline Cagnat, a lawyer with the French human rights law firm headed by William Bourdon, said Najib and Abdul Razak Baginda are “priority witnesses” in the investigation into bribes and kickbacks totaling about €150 million in the sale of Scorpene submarines to the Malaysian Ministry of Defense -- the initial €114 million routed through Razak Baginda’s wholly-owned company Perimekar Sdn. Bhd and a second €39 million routed through a Hong Kong-based paper company called Terasasi HK Ltd. which had no known business affairs and which was wholly owned by Razak Baginda and his father .

It is highly unlikely, however, that the French authorities probing the scandal would be able to persuade the head of a sovereign state, especially one who is suspected of helping to facilitate the transfer of kickbacks to UMNO to testify. It is also difficult to imagine what they would be willing to add to the dialogue about the case if indeed they were called to testify.

However, both the French investigation and the Jaikishan comments spell continuing trouble for Najib on the domestic political front, and within his political party. The ruling national coalition has been seeking the appropriate time to hold national elections for more than a year but has continued to put them off for a variety of reasons including a long string of scandals over cost overruns on a big port modernization at Port Klang, west of Kuala Lumpur, as well as the so-called Cattlegate scandal in which the family of the minister for women’s affairs allegedly looted a cattle-slaughtering scheme of tens of millions of ringgit for their personal use.

French lawyer: Najib, Razak Baginda 'priority witnesses'

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his confidante Abdul Razak Baginda are the “priority witnesses” in the investigation of the Scorpene scandal, said French lawyer Apoline Cagnat.
She is representing human rights NGO Suaram in the probe by the French judiciary.

Cagnat (left in photo) told a briefing for Malaysian parliamentarians today in Singapore that, of the seven witnesses submitted by Suaram and accepted by the French judiciary, Najib and Razak are the most important.

“I hope the judges manage to interrogate them,” she said.

The other five witnesses are:
- Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
- Setev Shaariibuu, the father of murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu
- private investigator P Balasubramaniam
- Boustead Holdings Bhd group managing director and deputy chairperson Lodin Wok Kamaruddin
- Jasbir Singh Chahl, said to be Razak's right-hand man
Cagnat reiterated that, should Najib (left) refuse to testify, an arrest warrant can be issued by the French judiciary.

She said the recent issuance of an arrest warrant for Equatorial Guinea Agriculture Minister Teodoro Nguema Obiang - who is also the son of the president - in relation to a corruption case, has shown that this may happen to Najib.

"This could definitely happen in the Scorpene case if the judges have enough evidence to issue such a warrant," she said.

There is also a possibility that the French judges could come to Malaysia to conduct their probe, said Cagnat.

"They can ask for cooperation (from Putrajaya). They can also come. It is up to them. Sometimes they come, sometimes they send police. It is possible."
Asked by the MPs to comment on Putrajaya's argument that the submarine procurement is strictly a state-to-state deal that does not involve the payment of commission to private companies, she replied that the government is "trying to escape" the inquiry but that the evidence shows otherwise.
Suaram's Plan B

On the recent hositility shown to Suaram by the Malaysian authorities, Cagnat stressed that, even if it is declared illegal by the government and loses its status as civil plaintiff, this would not stop the judges from pursuing the case.

However, she conceded that the presence of a civil plaintiff would strengthen the case.

Suaram secretariat member Cynthia Gabriel, who hosted the briefing, said the NGO is holding discussions with other Malaysian NGOs which are active in fighting corruption on stepping into its role in the event it is declared illegal.

One of the NGOs is Transparency International-Malaysia, she revealed.

The French legal team, led by prominent human rights lawyer William Bourdon (left), had initially been invited by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to brief parliamentarians in Malaysia on the probe.

Planned to be held at Parliament House, it was moved to a hotel in Singapore after the Malaysian government failed to provide a guarantee of security to the French lawyers.

Bourdon had been deported when he was in Malaysia last year to work on the case.

Only Cagnat was present at the two-hour briefing today.

Those present included seven opposition MPs, Suaram directors Cynthia and Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, as well as reporters from Malaysia and Singapore.

The lawmakers were Batu MP Tian Chua, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, Kuala Krai MP Hatta Ramli, Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo-Burne, Subang MP R Sivarasa and Teluk Kemang MP Kamarul Baharin Abbas.

French Lawyers Seek Malaysian PM Najib to Testify in Sub Scandal

Highly doubtful that is going to happen, though
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his onetime close friend Abdul Razak Baginda are the “priority witnesses” in an investigation into bribes and kickbacks amounting to about €150 million in the sale of Scorpene submarines to the Malaysian Ministry of Defense, French lawyer Apoline Cagnat told a press conference in Singapore today.

Cagnat is a member of the Paris-based firm headed by William Bourdon, which has been retained by the Malaysian human rights NGO Suaram in a probe by the French judiciary.

Cagnat told a briefing for Malaysian parliamentarians in Singapore that, of the seven witnesses submitted by Suaram and accepted by the French judiciary, Najib and Razak are the most important.

It is highly unlikely, however, that the French authorities probing the scandal would be able to persuade the head of a sovereign state, especially one who is suspected of helping to facilitate the transfer of kickbacks to the United Malays National Organization, the biggest party in the ruling national coalition, to testify. It is also difficult to imagine what they would be willing to add to the dialogue about the case if indeed they were called to testify. And, although threats of subpoenas have been made in the past, there was no indication in Cagnat’s comments that they are being issued.

Nonetheless, “I hope the judges manage to interrogate them,” Cagnat told reporters. Cagnat gave her press conference in Singapore after Suaram said it was unable to obtain an assurance from the government that it would guarantee the security of the French lawyers, who had been asked by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to brief parliament on the case. The speaker of the parliament, Amin Mulia, said he wouldn’t allow the briefing to take place in Parliament's compound.

The other five witnesses are the current Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi , Setev Shaariibuu, the father of murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, private investigator P Balasubramaniam, Boustead Holdings Bhd group managing director and deputy chairperson Lodin Wok Kamaruddin, and Jasbir Singh Chahl, said to be Razak's right-hand man but who fell out with the onetime security consultant and threatened suit because he reportedly didn’t get a big enough share of the commission paid on the submarines.

Bourdon himself was bundled out of Malaysia by immigration authorities in July of 2011 after giving details of the alleged scandal in a speech in Penang to hundreds of people at a fundraiser to continue his investigation. Scheduled to give two more speeches in Malaysia, Bourdon was taken off a flight at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and was put on another plane out of the country over his protests.

Bourdon and Suaram have been battered by both the mainstream press, which is largely government-owned, and an army of bloggers who say the scandal has been overblown and that no trial had been ordered by French authorities. Neither Bourdon, Suaram nor Asia Sentinel, which has reported extensively on the case, have ever said a trial was imminent. But the investigation is continuing and investigating magistrates have been appointed by the French courts. Two investigating judges, Serge Tournaire and Roger Le Loire, were appointed in March to investigate the case. They have broad powers to investigate independently and can call witnesses and conduct international surveys.

French police acting on a request from Bourdon’s legal team raided the headquarters of the state-owned defense giant DCN and its subsidiaries and came up with a wealth of detail that enmeshed former French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, current Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and a host of others in the scandal, as well as top officials with DCN.

On June 25, Asia Sentinel published 133 confidential documents from the French court giving exhaustive details on the scandal and uploaded them here. An accompanying story explaining the documents, which were written in French, can be found here.

In the succeeding weeks, and with what is expected to be an extremely close election, the United Malays National Organization and media aligned with it have initiated an unprecedented attack on Suaram, its director Cynthia Gabriel, and independent news organizations that have carried the story, particularly the popular website Malaysiakini, which has 300,000 daily unique viewers. Suaram has been investigated under the companies act, allegedly because its funding is suspect. Malaysiakini editor Steven Gan and publisher Premesh Chandran have both faced police questioning over Malaysiakini’s funding. At one point 15 policemen were sent to the website’s offices to investigate the writer of a letter that the government found objectionable.

The allegations of kickbacks have surrounded the sale of the submarines virtually since the transaction was completed in 2002. However, the case has been kept under wraps by a government apparently anxious to protect the man who engineered the transaction – then-Defense Minister Najib. The case involves the payment of €114 million in “commissions” to Perimekar Sdn. Bhd., a company wholly owned by Abdul Razak Baginda as well as additional payments to a Hong Kong-based company called Terasasi HK Ltd, which was wholly owned by Razak Baginda and his father.

Enmeshed inextricably in the case – and playing a major role in keeping it alive -- is the gruesome murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006, the jilted lover of Razak Baginda, by two of Najib’s bodyguards. According to a confession by one of the two, they were to be paid RM50,000 to RM100,000 to kill the woman and two friends who had accompanied her from Mongolia to confront the security consultant.

Altantuya had acted as a translator on latter element of the deal, according to documents seized by the French police. According to a letter found in her Kuala Lumpur hotel room after her death, she was asking Razak Baginda for US$500,000. In the letter, she expressed regret for attempting to blackmail Razak Baginda. Razak Baginda, immediately after being cleared without having to put on a defense of complicity in the 28-year-old woman’s murder, fled to the UK, where he has remained ever since.

PM dan Razak Baginda mungkin disepina – Peguam Scorpene

Daripada Fazallah Pit

SINGAPURA 27 NOV: Daripada tujuh senarai saksi yang diberi Suaram, nama Datuk Seri Najib Razak dan Abdul Razak Baginda menjadi fokus utama untuk disepina, kata peguam Scorpene, Apoline Cagnat.

Beliau juga menegaskan tiada siapa termasuk Perdana Menteri Malaysia itu memiliki imuniti penuh dari sebarang pendakwaan atau sepina dalam kes berkenaan.

Bagaimanapun, Apoline tidak dapat memastikan tempoh sepina itu diberi kerana proses sedemikian mengambil masa tetapi tidak menolak kemungkinan kedua-dua individu itu bakal disepina.

Peguam itu juga sepanjang taklimat menyebut ‘Najib Razak’ sebanyak dua kali termasuk menyatakan Perdana Menteri itu adalah antara nama yang diberi tumpuan dalam senarai saksi cadangan.

Apoline adalah rakan sejawat kepada William Bourdon yang pernah dihalau kerajaan Malaysia sebelum ini.

Selain Najib dan Razak Baginda, mereka yang dalam senarai Suaram untuk disepina ialah Menteri Pertahanan, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi; bapa Altantuya, Dr Shaariibu Setev, penyiasat persendirian, Balasubramaniam dan seorang korporat, Lodin Wok Kamaruddin.

Taklimat itu yang sepatutnya diadakan di Parlimen Malaysia hari ini, ditukar lokasi ke Changi, Singapura berikutan halangan daripada kerajaan Malaysia.

Terdahulu, Apoline juga menyatakan rekod kes pembunuhan Altantuya juga akan diteliti Hakim Siasatan Mahkamah Perancis.

Taklimat kes Scorpene ke Singapura

Ini berikutan arahan daripada Speaker Dewan yang enggan membenarkan kehadiran peguam Perancis di Parlimen.
UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: Taklimat kes Scorpene yang sepatutnya diadakan di Parlimen esok dipinda ke Hotel Changi di Singapura berikutan arahan daripada Speaker Dewan yang enggan membenarkan kehadiran peguam Perancis.

Taklimat akan bermula pada 11 pagi sehingga 2 petang esok dan dijangka akan dihadiri majoriti ahli Parlimen Pakatan Rakyat.

Tambahan, taklimat yang sepatutnya dilakukan oleh dua peguam Perancis, William Bourdon dan Joseph Brohem terpaksa dibatalkan dan hanya diwakili peguam bersekutu mereka, Apoline Cagnatn.

Cagnatn dikatakan sudah berlepas daripada Perancis pukul 3 petang tadi (waktu Malaysia) dan dijangka tiba di Singapura pada pukul 7 pagi esok.

Speaker Dewan Rakyat Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia dalam responnya berkata, keputusan itu dibuat beradasarkan kuasa mutlaknya untuk menentukan, memberi kebenaran atau arahan bagi membolehkan seseorang masuk ke kawasan Parlimen.

Menurut Pandikar, keputusan itu turut dilakukan kerana mendapat bantahan rasmi daripada Majlis Ahli Parlimen Barisan Nasional (BNBBC) demi menjaga kedaulatan dan nama baik institusi Parlimen supaya kekal terpelihara.

“Kalau pun ada bukti baru yang perlu diperjelaskan kepada mana-mana pihak khasnya ahli Parlimen, pada hemat saya, ia masih juga berstatus tuduhan, bersifat fan berunsur politik yang bukan ‘bipartisan’.

“Sehubungan itu, saya amat bersetuju dengan pendirian BNBBC jika agenda peribadi ini hendak diperjelaskan, bolehlah menggunakan ruang lain seperti ibu pejabat parti, pejabat Suaram atau lain-lain premis awam yang bersesuaian tanpa melibatkan institusi Parlimen Malaysia.

“Keputusan muktamad ini juga sejajar dengan keputusan saya dalam Majlis Mesyuarat Dewan Rakyat pada 8 November 2012 mengenai ‘Isu
Keselamatan Parlimen Malaysia dan Penggunaan Ruang Sidang Media’ dengan mengambil kira keistimewaan dan hak ahli Parlimen dibawah Peraturan Mesyuarat 93 dan 94 demi memastikan tahap integriti, keluhuran dan kedaulatan institusi Parlimen Malaysia terpelihara sepanjang masa,” katanya.

Tambah Pandikar, setakat ini tiada sebarang permohonan rasmi yang diterimanya, sebaliknya hanya surat makluman mengenai hasrat untuk membawa tetamu undangan (peguam Perancis) masuk ke Parlimen.

Pandikar berkata demikian dalam satu surat jawapan rasmi kepada pejabat Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hari ini.

Sementara itu, Ahli Parlimen Batu Tian Chua dalam sidang media berkata, William dan Joseph tidak dapat hadir kerana enggan mengambil risiko yang tinggi apabila Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN) tidak memberikan sebarang jaminan keselamatan kepada mereka.

“KDN kata tertakluk kepada syarat-syarat imigrasi yang akan ditentukan Jabatan Imegresen…tugas mereka hanya nak masuk dan buat taklimat ringkas. Mereka tak berminat nak buat kecoh pun,” katanya.

Sehubungan itu Tian Chua berkata pihaknya mengalu-alukan kehadiran ahli Parlimen BN termasuk ahli Senat ke Singapura esok dan berusaha untuk menyiarkan taklimat tersebut secara langsung termasuk melalui laman sosial Facebook.

Sementara itu, Ahli Parlimen Subang R Sivarsa berkata keputusan Speaker itu merupakan langkah terbaru untuk mengurangkan ruang bagi rakyat menyuarakan pendapat dalam Parlimen.

“Secara langsung menunjukkan adaperkara yang tak mahu didedahkan. Ada perkara yang mereka tak mahu rakyat tahu,” katanya.

Pesky French Lawyer Seeks to Return to KL

William Bourdon

Sub scandal lawyer, booted out in 2011, scheduled by opposition to address parliament
French lawyer William Bourdon, the leader of an investigation into a long-running scandal involving €150 million in kickbacks over the sale of submarines to the Malaysian defense ministry, was due to land in Kuala Lumpur today to testify on the probe before the Dewan Rakyat, or house of parliament.

It was questionable, however, whether Bourdon would be allowed into the country. He was unceremoniously bundled out by authorities in July of 2011 after giving details of the alleged scandal in a speech in Penang to hundreds of people at a fundraiser to continue his investigation. Bourdon was taken off a flight at Kuala Lumpur International Airport by immigration officials and was put on another plane out of the country over his protests.

Bourdon and his team, who had been hired to by Suaram to look into the scandal in dissatisfaction over the government’s investigation of the 2006 murder for hire of the Mongolian translator and party girl Altantuya Shaariibuu, were asked by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to answer questions in parliament tomorrow about the affair.

Bourdon and Suaram have been battered by both the mainstream press, which is largely government-owned, and an army of bloggers who say the scandal has been overblown and that no trial had been ordered by French authorities. Neither Bourdon, Suaram nor Asia Sentinel, which has reported extensively on the case, have ever said a trial was imminent. But the investigation is continuing and investigating magistrates have been appointed by the French courts.

As Asia Sentinel reported in June 2012, French police acting on a request from Bourdon’s legal team raided the headquarters of the state-owned defense giant DCN and its subsidiaries and came up with a wealth of detail that enmeshed former French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, current Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and a host of others in the scandal, as well as top officials with DCN.

On June 25, Asia Sentinel published 133 confidential documents from the French court giving exhaustive details on the scandal and uploaded them here. An accompanying story explaining the documents, which were written in French, can be found here.

In the succeeding weeks, and with what is expected to be an extremely close election, the United Malays National Organization and media aligned with it have initiated an unprecedented attack on Suaram, its director Cynthia Gabriel, and independent news organizations that have carried the story, particularly the popular website Malaysiakini, which has 300,000 daily unique viewers. Suaram has been investigated under the companies act, allegedly because its funding is suspect. Malaysiakini editor Steven Gan and publisher Premesh Chandran have both faced police questioning over Malaysiakini’s funding . At one point 15 policemen were sent to the website’s offices to investigate the writer of a letter that the government found objectionable.

The allegations of kickbacks have surrounded the sale of the submarines virtually since the transaction was completed in 2002. However, the case, which could have the potential to bring down the Malaysian government, has been kept under wraps by a government apparently anxious to protect the man who engineered the transaction – then-Defense Minister Najib. The case involves the payment of €114 million in “commissions” to Perimekar Sdn. Bhd., a company wholly owned by Abdul Razak Baginda, then a well-wired security consultant and one of Najib’s best friends, as well as additional payments to a Hong Kong-based company called Terasasi HK Ltd, which was wholly owned by Razak Baginda and his father.

Enmeshed inextricably in the case – and playing a major role in keeping it alive -- is the gruesome murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006, the jilted lover of Razak Baginda, by two of Najib’s bodyguards. According to a confession by one of the two, they were to be paid RM50,000 to RM100,000 to kill the woman and two friends who had accompanied her from Mongolia to confront the security consultant.

Altantuya had acted as a translator on latter element of the deal, according to documents seized by the French police. According to a letter found in her Kuala Lumpur hotel room after her death, she was asking Razak Baginda for US$500,000. In the letter, she expressed regret for attempting to blackmail Razak Baginda.

Details have been leaking out over recent months after a long period in which the case appeared to be closed. Razak Baginda, immediately after being cleared of complicity in the 28-year-old woman’s murder, fled to the UK, where he has remained ever since.

Suaram reportedly was organizing dinners in three Malaysian cities to seek to raise funds to prosecute the case in France when Bourdon was deported in 2011. Bourdon and his team have been providing legal services for free up to this point, but costs are expected to skyrocket when court hearings begin. Suaram said at the time that it hopes to raise about RM100,000 to cover the legal costs.

Perimekar, Terasasi tak terlibat dengan Scorpene

Kelengkapan ketenteraan dilakukan secara pembelian terus antara pembekal kerajaan dengan negara lain.

Sekitar Dewan Rakyat

KUALA LUMPUR: Kerajaan tidak pernah melantik mana-mana pihak ketiga atau orang tengah untuk menjalankan urusniaga pembelian kapal selam Perancis, Scorpene mahu pun jet tempur buatan Rusia, Sukhoi.

Timbalan Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad menegaskan, kelengkapan ketenteraan dilakukan secara pembelian terus antara pembekal kerajaan dengan negara lain.

“Kami tidak pernah melantik pihak ketiga dalam pembelian mana-mana kelengkapan sama ada kapal selam, (Landrover) 8×8, ataupun Sukhoi.

“Semuanya melalui proses G2G (kerajaan kepada kerajaan). Dalam sejarah Malaysia tidak pernah lantik mana-mana ejen untuk beli kelengkapan kita,” katanya dalam Dewan Rakyat malam tadi.

Beliau turut menepis dakwaan penglibatan syarikat Perimekar Sdn Bhd milik isteri kepada bekas pembantu kanan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Abdul Razak Baginda sebagai orang tengah dalam pembelian Scorpene.

Sekaligus menafikan wujudnya konflik kepentingan pembelian itu dengan Terasasi (HK) Ltd milik Abdul Razak dan bapanya, Abdul Malim Baginda yang didakwa menerima duit komisyen sebanyak Euro 36 juta (RM144 juta) daripada pembelian Scorpene.

Sebaliknya, Abdul Latiff mendakwa perkara itu sengaja diputar belit pembangkang untuk mencalarkan imej Najib.

“Jelas perkara ini diputar-belitkan untuk menggambarkan kaitan antara Scorpene, Abdul Razak Baginda, Altantuya, dan (ahli Parlimen) Pekan.

“Ini semua nak calarkan nama Pekan (Najib)…fitnah semata-mata,” katanya.

No green light on Scorpene briefing

The opposition said it will nevertheless proceed with the briefing in Parliament, if not tomorrow, then next week.

KUALA LUMPUR: The opposition has yet to get the go-ahead from the government to hold a briefing on the Scorpene submarine scandal in Parliament tomorrow.

However, it vowed to press on with the briefing even without government approval.

PKR vice-president Tian Chua said Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has so far remained silent on the matter and the opposition has considered postponing the briefing to early next week.

He added that the opposition was optimistic of a diplomatic outcome despite the government’s obvious hesitation.

“We will still try and negotiate and see what happens tomorrow,” Chua, the Batu MP, told FMT.

In another development, PKR leader and Subang MP R Sivarasa said the briefing by the French lawyer was also still pending the approval of House Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia.

“The speaker has not given us an answer if we can invite the lawyer to hold his briefing for the MPs in the parliament,” he said today.

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had earlier this month written to Hishammuddin seeking assurance that Suaram’s French lawyers will not be barred from entering Malaysia when they arrive later this month.

The letter came after confirmation from lawyer William Bourdon that he will seek to hold a bipartisan briefing to Malaysian lawmakers on the judicial investigation into the controversial purchase of the Scorpene-class submarines from French defence contractor DCNS.

Bourdon had confirmed in principle to give the briefing on Nov 22 (tomorrow) through a letter dated Oct 29.

Deported

According to Anwar’s letter, the PKR de facto leader had also urged Hishammuddin to respond urgently so that arrangements could be made.

This includes contacting DCNS lawyers to invite them to the briefing.

It was reported that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (in charge of parliamentary affairs) Nazri Abdul Aziz had indicated that there was no problem holding the briefing in the Parliament building.

Bourdon was deported when he was said to have violated his visa by speaking on the issue at a fundraiser in Penang in July 2011.

The event was held by rights group Suaram which hired the lawyer to pursue the matter in the French court, alleging that Malaysia’s top leaders, including Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, is involved in the kickback scandal worth more than RM250 million.

Najib denied the allegation while the government claimed that the French authorities had never planned on pressing charges as alleged by Suaram and the opposition.

Mengapa Perancis Bersungguh Dengan Skandal Kapal Selam?

Harakah
Oleh Subky Latif

Jika Suaram bersungguh-sungguh memanjangkan kes skandal pembelian dua kapal selam dari Perancis dapat difahami mereka tidak rela rakyat dan Malaysia dipelekuh oleh penyangak berbaju pemimpin.

Sebagai pembayar cukai, mereka tidak mahu duit mereka dirompak dan mereka mahu negara dan duit negara yang juga duit mereka diurus dengan baik. Binasa negara dan rakyat termasuk mereka jika negara ditadbir oleh orang yang mereka percaya sang penyangak.

Itu hak mereka yang dijamin oleh perlembagaan.

Tetapi puak-puak Perancis, terutama pengamal undang-undang seperti peguam dan pengendali mahkamah, mengapa pula beria-ia memproses aduan yang dikemukakan oleh Suaram?

Dalam apa yang dirasakan skandal ini jika benar-benar berlaku, yang tertipu dan yang kena perdaya ialah orang Malaysia dan negaranya. Ia hendak lingkupkah dan hendak mampuskah, ia masalah orang Malaysia.

Kalau orang-orang Malaysia bodoh hingga ditipu oleh pemimpinnya dan negaranya ditipu serta dipelekuh oleh penyangak dunia adalah masalah Malaysia. Kalau orang Malaysia dan para pemimpin Malaysia semuanya bodoh, bodohlah kalau penyangak dunia kalau tidak tipu mereka.

Bukan Perancis itu bangsa penjajah yang pernah menindas, memperbodoh, menipu anak-anak tanah jajahannya. Mana mereka belas kasihan kepada orang yang dijajahnya. Dan peguam dan pengamal undang-undang Perancis itu adalah keturunan puak-puak penindas belaka.

Jika betul Malaysia dan kerajaannya menjadi mangsa tipu syarikat pembuat kapal selam, maka kena tipu itu bukan Perancis dan bukan syarikat Perancis yang kena tipu. Lantaknyalah.

Dari apa yang saya faham, pihak bodoh dan kena tipu dalam skandal ini ialah Malaysia. Sama ada syarikat Perancis menipu, disengaja atau tidak sengaja, Perancis belum tentu jadi penipu. Yang mungkin menipu itu ialah pemimpin-pemimpin Malaysia sendiri yang dipillih oleh rakyatnya.

Tiada apa rugi Perancis dan jelas yang bodoh bukan Perancis.

Oleh sebab yang besarnya adalah masalah Malaysia, maka Perancis dipercayai tidak gatal untuk bersusah payah melibatkan diri dalam suasana orang-orang bodoh itu. Jika tidak melibatkan kepentingan Perancis, maka tiada sebab Perancis gatal mencampuri skandal itu.

Jika demikian mengapa mereka bersusah payah?

Mereka bersusah payah bukan masalah yang menimpa Malaysia. Kalau Malaysia hendak mampus, mampuslah. Tetapi mereka tampil ke depan kerana menjaga kepentingan Perancis. Mereka mahu memastikan Perancis tidak jadi tukang karut dalam skandal kapal selam itu. Mereka mahu menjaga nama baik, prestasi dan imej syarikat Perancis sentiasa baik.

Bukan saja mereka tidak mahu syarikat Perancis tipu bangsa mereka sendiri, mereka juga tidak mahu ada orang luar ditipu oleh syarikat Perancis. Jika penyangak Perancis tipu orang luar, mungkin payah sikit hendak mencegahnya. Tetapi syarikat besar Perancis terlibat dalam penipuan, maka Perancis akan malu besar. Mereka tidak mahu ada syarikat Perancis melakukan penipuan baik terhadap rakyatnya mahu pun orang.

Dalam sekandal ini, syarikat pengeluar kapal selam itu sudah disebut. Apakah betul ia skandal? Adakah syarikat Perancis itu berpakat dengan pemimpin Malaysia menipu rakyat dan kerajaannya?

Perancis tampil dalam kes ini adalah untuk memastikan ada unsur jenayah oleh syarikat Perancis itu. Soal berdepan dengan kerajaan dan pemimpin Malaysia adalah perkara kedua. Yang pertamanya ia hendak memastikan syarikat Perancis itu jahat atau tidak.

Ada pun usahanya untuk membabitkan Perdana Menteri Najib dan pegawai-pegawai ialah untuk mendapatkan bukti tentang pembuat kapal selam itu curang atau tidak.

Pemimpin Malaysia dalam masalah ini tidak sangat sebagai pihak yang dituduh tetapi lebih sebagai saksi.