Scorpene deal: Najib must come clean
Suaram’s suit over the Scorpene deal will be heard in a French court soon, and the onus is on Najib to prove his innocence, says PKR’s Saifuddin Nasution.
(Free Malaysia Today) – Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak must come clean on the trip his associates made in connection with the Scorpene submarine deal.
PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said little is known about about the 2002 travel destinations made by his associates to broker the submarine deal.
He said the onus is now on Najib to prove his innocence in the RM6.27 billion deal between the Malaysian government and French company DCNS following an allegation of a “third person” in the negotiation that took place in Macau.
The allegation was made by local human rights group Suaram which also said that Mongolian Altantuya Shariibuu, who was murdered for her alleged connection in the deal, was also present in the meeting.
Saifuddin claimed it has now been established that the deal was brokered by Najib’s close associates, including his one-time adviser Abdul Razak Baginda and Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT) chief Lodin Wok Kamaruddin.
Businessman Lodin Wok has recently been cited by WikiLeaks as one of Najib’s close friends.
Lodin Wok was also stated to be one of the directors of Perimekar Sdn Bhd until last year.
Perimekar had acted as the go-between for the procurement of two French-made submarines by the Malaysian Defence Ministry. In the process, the company made RM534.8 million in commission.
Saifuddin said of the players one of them is already dead, and one of them was charged in court.
“One more is still alive and could be holding a high position… we don’t know, but we will know when the trial starts,” he told a press conference here today.
