LCS scandal: DAP mounts pressure on MACC chief, AG to resign
(Malaysiakini) – The DAP has reiterated its call for the resignation of MACC chief Azam Baki and Attorney-General Idrus Harun over the duo’s alleged failure to act on the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) scandal.
DAP national chairperson Lim Guan Eng said both Azam and Idrus have so far only acted upon the instruction of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, despite an existing report from 2019 that uncovered the RM9 billion scandal.
“To fail to act on public complaints and from the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee until requiring a special directive from the prime minister shows both men are unfit for their positions as MACC chief commissioner and attorney-general.
“This further highlights the importance for both posts to be independent of the prime minister’s control to avoid being misused as a political weapon,” said the Bagan MP in a statement.
“The abject failure of both agencies to defend national interests and uphold the sanctity of the law to punish those involved in the misappropriation of funds in the RM9 billion LCS scandal cannot be justified.
“Malaysians continue to be outraged that RM6 billion has been paid but not one single ship has been delivered even though the delivery time has long passed,” he said.
Lim (above) said this in response to Ismail Sabri’s announcement yesterday that the cabinet has proposed to declassify the report of a forensic audit on the government’s procurement of six LCS.
The forensic audit was carried out during Pakatan Harapan’s stint in Putrajaya.
Ismail Sabri stressed that those responsible for the LCS scandal will not be spared and the MACC has been asked to speed up its investigations.
The LCS project came under public scrutiny after the PAC released a report that revealed many issues including the government paying RM6.083 billion since 2013 without any ship being delivered.
The first ship was supposed to arrive in 2019.
The PAC report also raised the contention that the government ignored the navy’s design requirements and instead followed recommendations by the contractor – Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd – to use a different ship design.The then navy chief Abdul Aziz Jaafar wrote 10 letters to protest against the design switch – five going to then defence minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and two to then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak – to no avail.
In recent days, Bersatu, Umno Youth, and Amanah had separately called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the scandal, including through memorandums delivered to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
