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.
James Sivalingam, Free Malaysia Today
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.
