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Human rights NGO Suaram is still a party to the Scorpene judicial inquiry in France and allegations on the contrary are “a malicious accusation (and) a total lie,” said Suaram secretariat member Fadiah Nadwa Fikri.
Speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today, Fadiah (right in photo) showed purported court documents dated April 11, naming Suaram director and founder Kua Kia Soong as the plaintiff.
“If you have followed the progress of the case, we had testified before the judge on April 19.
“The judge had actually heard us and we proffered a list of witnesses to the judge to facilitate the court process,” the lawyer said.
Several pro-government NGOs had alleged that Suaram’s applications to be a civil party to the case was rejected based on a document dated March 13.
Young Journalists Club Malaysia (KWMM) president Dzulkarnain Taib decried it as the “biggest lie in Malaysia’s political history,” while declining to disclose the document.
He had also claimed that after the rejection, Suaram Lawyer William Bourdon had applied to be a “joint plaintiff” on the grounds that Suaram had been working with the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).
However, Suaram secretariat member Cynthia Gabriel rebutted, “The FIDH has no role in the ongoing judicial investigations.”
When asked about Suaram’s two lawyer’s visit to Malaysia in November, Cynthia said Bourdon and Joseph Breham are “taking even greater pains” to apply for a working visa, after Bourdon was supposedlydeported for abusing his social visit visa last year.
“We really urge the Home Ministry, Foreign Affairs Ministry, and the Malaysian government not to obstruct their travel to Malaysia because it is for a very legitimate reason that they are coming: to offer an open briefing to parliamentarians on the status of the (Scorpene) case,” she said.
In addition, she said the lawyers would also be visiting clients Suaram. The duo were invited by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim to explain the issue at the Dewan Rakyat.
However, this has resulting in pro-government NGOs - the same group accusing Suaram of lying about its plaintiff status - to lodge police reports against Anwar, Suaram, and several other Pakatan Rakyat MPs for supposedly inviting “foreign interference”.
DCNS' lawyers also invited
When asked about the matter, Cynthia pointed out that French shipbuilder DCNS’ lawyers were invited as well, so the briefing would not be a “one-sided affair”.
However, she said she does not know whether DCNS’ lawyers had agreed to come and the question should be posed to Pakatan Rakyat MPs instead.
DCNS is a French state-owned company that built Malaysia’s two Scorpene class submarines, but the deal has since being plagued by allegations of corruption.
Meanwhile, Kua (left) pointed out that France is probing the Scorpene deal not because it was interested in Malaysia’s affairs, but because DCNS was involved and the French want to investigate alleged kickbacks paid by its officials.
“Do you think the French are so bothered about interfering with the Malaysian government? You’ve got to be kidding me.
“The French inquiry going on is because the company that sold the submarines is a French state company. What it involves is possible corruption - commissions paid to Malaysia, Pakistan and Taiwan.
“There is a question of French taxpayer money being used and that is what the judicial inquiry is about,” he said.
Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had previously denied allegation of corruption, saying that the auditor-general had declared that the deal was above board.
Speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today, Fadiah (right in photo) showed purported court documents dated April 11, naming Suaram director and founder Kua Kia Soong as the plaintiff. “If you have followed the progress of the case, we had testified before the judge on April 19.
“The judge had actually heard us and we proffered a list of witnesses to the judge to facilitate the court process,” the lawyer said.
Several pro-government NGOs had alleged that Suaram’s applications to be a civil party to the case was rejected based on a document dated March 13.
Young Journalists Club Malaysia (KWMM) president Dzulkarnain Taib decried it as the “biggest lie in Malaysia’s political history,” while declining to disclose the document.
He had also claimed that after the rejection, Suaram Lawyer William Bourdon had applied to be a “joint plaintiff” on the grounds that Suaram had been working with the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).
However, Suaram secretariat member Cynthia Gabriel rebutted, “The FIDH has no role in the ongoing judicial investigations.”
When asked about Suaram’s two lawyer’s visit to Malaysia in November, Cynthia said Bourdon and Joseph Breham are “taking even greater pains” to apply for a working visa, after Bourdon was supposedlydeported for abusing his social visit visa last year.“We really urge the Home Ministry, Foreign Affairs Ministry, and the Malaysian government not to obstruct their travel to Malaysia because it is for a very legitimate reason that they are coming: to offer an open briefing to parliamentarians on the status of the (Scorpene) case,” she said.
In addition, she said the lawyers would also be visiting clients Suaram. The duo were invited by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim to explain the issue at the Dewan Rakyat.
However, this has resulting in pro-government NGOs - the same group accusing Suaram of lying about its plaintiff status - to lodge police reports against Anwar, Suaram, and several other Pakatan Rakyat MPs for supposedly inviting “foreign interference”.
DCNS' lawyers also invited
When asked about the matter, Cynthia pointed out that French shipbuilder DCNS’ lawyers were invited as well, so the briefing would not be a “one-sided affair”.
However, she said she does not know whether DCNS’ lawyers had agreed to come and the question should be posed to Pakatan Rakyat MPs instead.
DCNS is a French state-owned company that built Malaysia’s two Scorpene class submarines, but the deal has since being plagued by allegations of corruption.
Meanwhile, Kua (left) pointed out that France is probing the Scorpene deal not because it was interested in Malaysia’s affairs, but because DCNS was involved and the French want to investigate alleged kickbacks paid by its officials. “Do you think the French are so bothered about interfering with the Malaysian government? You’ve got to be kidding me.
“The French inquiry going on is because the company that sold the submarines is a French state company. What it involves is possible corruption - commissions paid to Malaysia, Pakistan and Taiwan.
“There is a question of French taxpayer money being used and that is what the judicial inquiry is about,” he said.
Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had previously denied allegation of corruption, saying that the auditor-general had declared that the deal was above board.
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