An
opposition MP wants Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman to brief
Parliament on the French investigation into alleged corruption over
Malaysia's purchase of the two Scorpene-class submarines.
"I call upon him to brief the Parliament in detail over what the probe has revealed to date, to what extent evidence has been obtained and whether it reflects any wrongdoing on part of our officials in the said transaction," Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo said in a statement today.
The DAP lawmaker was responding to Anifah's statement yesterday that the probe "is not a serious issue" that Malaysia should focus on.
Gobind said he wants the minister to explain why he thinks this is not a serious matter.
"It is a matter of public concern. He must give us reasons in full," Gobind said, adding that Anifah "is walking on thin ice" by making such a statement.
"Firstly, he should tell us how much he knows about the probe and how he has come to know those details, given the fact that Malaysia is currently not participating in the probe in France.
"It is refreshing to hear that the minister seems to know the issues in the probe. But his remarks don't add up."
Anifah
had also told reporters yesterday that Malaysia would make the
necessary preparations to defend herself during the trial. However, he
has yet to receive any information from the French Embassy.
This has not gone down well with Gobind, a lawyer by profession.
"This defies logic. There is a probe going on that involves the nation. Surely we cannot just sit back and wait for the French Embassy to brief us?" he asked.
Gobind urged Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, as first legal officer, to intervene and advise Anifah that the proper approach, especially in a case like this where the country's reputation is at stake, is to take stock of the situation from the very outset.
"We should and must participate and have our own representatives defending us and regularly updating us as to the findings of the inquiry. We should be on top of things.
"Anything short of this would appear to be an obviously negligent handling of the matter, for which the government must in the end be fully prepared to account for."
Local human rights NGO Suaram had filed a suit over alleged kickbacks from French defence contractor DCNS to Malaysian parties in the purchase of the two submarines.
Suaram's lawyer Joseph Breham recently revealed
that French prosecutors have found that a company owned by a person
closely-linked to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had sold confidential
documents to DCNS for 36 million euro (RM142 million).
The company, Hong Kong-based Terasasi Ltd, belongs to Najib's associate Abdul Razak Baginda and Razak's father Abdul Malim Baginda.
Suaram also revealed that French investigators found fax correspondence indicating that Najib could have asked for US$1 billion for another company owned by Razak, Perimekar Sdn Bhd, for the duration of the company's stay in France.
This was allegedly in exchange for a meeting with Najib.
Najib has been silent on the matter while the Royal Malaysian Navy and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin have declined comment.
Najib, Razak and Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi have been named in the list of seven witnesses proposed by Suaram, which was accepted by French investigating judge Roger Le Loire.
However, this does not mean that all seven will be subpoenaed to testify during the inquiry.
"I call upon him to brief the Parliament in detail over what the probe has revealed to date, to what extent evidence has been obtained and whether it reflects any wrongdoing on part of our officials in the said transaction," Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo said in a statement today.
The DAP lawmaker was responding to Anifah's statement yesterday that the probe "is not a serious issue" that Malaysia should focus on. Gobind said he wants the minister to explain why he thinks this is not a serious matter.
"It is a matter of public concern. He must give us reasons in full," Gobind said, adding that Anifah "is walking on thin ice" by making such a statement.
"Firstly, he should tell us how much he knows about the probe and how he has come to know those details, given the fact that Malaysia is currently not participating in the probe in France.
"It is refreshing to hear that the minister seems to know the issues in the probe. But his remarks don't add up."
Anifah
had also told reporters yesterday that Malaysia would make the
necessary preparations to defend herself during the trial. However, he
has yet to receive any information from the French Embassy.This has not gone down well with Gobind, a lawyer by profession.
"This defies logic. There is a probe going on that involves the nation. Surely we cannot just sit back and wait for the French Embassy to brief us?" he asked.
Gobind urged Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, as first legal officer, to intervene and advise Anifah that the proper approach, especially in a case like this where the country's reputation is at stake, is to take stock of the situation from the very outset.
"We should and must participate and have our own representatives defending us and regularly updating us as to the findings of the inquiry. We should be on top of things.
"Anything short of this would appear to be an obviously negligent handling of the matter, for which the government must in the end be fully prepared to account for."
Local human rights NGO Suaram had filed a suit over alleged kickbacks from French defence contractor DCNS to Malaysian parties in the purchase of the two submarines.
Suaram's lawyer Joseph Breham recently revealed
that French prosecutors have found that a company owned by a person
closely-linked to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had sold confidential
documents to DCNS for 36 million euro (RM142 million). The company, Hong Kong-based Terasasi Ltd, belongs to Najib's associate Abdul Razak Baginda and Razak's father Abdul Malim Baginda.
Suaram also revealed that French investigators found fax correspondence indicating that Najib could have asked for US$1 billion for another company owned by Razak, Perimekar Sdn Bhd, for the duration of the company's stay in France.
This was allegedly in exchange for a meeting with Najib.
Najib has been silent on the matter while the Royal Malaysian Navy and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin have declined comment.
Najib, Razak and Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi have been named in the list of seven witnesses proposed by Suaram, which was accepted by French investigating judge Roger Le Loire.
However, this does not mean that all seven will be subpoenaed to testify during the inquiry.
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