‘I was not the home minister then,’ Najib says on spyware purchase
The system was meant to be used by the Special Branch to keep tabs on political activists on the side of the opposition, with the deal coined “Project Magnum.
(Focus Malaysia) – Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has denied knowledge of a US$1.5 mil (RM6.5 mil) deal with Israeli firm Senpai Technologies Ltd to surveil the movements of Pakatan Harapan (PH).
“I was not the home minister at that time and I never ordered or asked SB on what to purchase, They (SB) decided themselves. Is it my job to assess and find software to buy?” Najib said in a Facebook posting today.
Earlier today, tech news site Calcalist said Najib’s government had signed the deal in April 2018 with Senpai Technologies to spy on PH.
The report noted that the pressure felt by Najib’s party from the May 2018 elections saw the deal inked to acquire a system that allowed the party to gather information and analyse data on civilian activity.
The system was meant to be used by the Special Branch to keep tabs on political activists on the side of the opposition, with the deal coined “Project Magnum.” And this was offered in two phases.
“Since Israel and Malaysia have no official diplomatic relations, the deal was signed through a Cypriot conduit company called Kohai Corp Ltd, founded by two Senpai shareholders for the sole purpose of serving as a front for such deals,” said the report.
It was further noted that Najib’s plans for Senpai’s system were not kept secret from the company and its use for “political investigations” is specifically mentioned in internal email correspondence.
“During the purchase of Phase 1, if it really happened, that did not involve the Prime Minister’s Department. In April 2018, the government had already been dissolved and we were busy with the GE14 campaign,” Najib said.
A year after the elections, following Najib’s defeat, Senpai Technologies was due to sign a new contract with the Special Branch that required adjusting the goals of the original contract, according to correspondence obtained by Calcalist.
