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Sunday 4 August 2013

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.

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