Submarine Deal Resurfaces Najib Quizzed Razak Baginda May Be Next

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EXCLUSIVE | MACC has re-opened its investigations into the purchase of two Scorpene-class submarines when former premier Najib Abdul Razak was the defence minister
Sources told Malaysiakini this was the reason Najib was summoned to the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya this morning
"The case has been reopened," said a high-ranking MACC officer, who declined to be named
Sources said investigators working on the case, in which kickbacks were allegedly paid for the 2002 purchase of the submarines from France, might also call in others to facilitate the probe
This, according to one of the sources, includes Najib's former close associate Abdul Razak Baginda
The submarines, which were purchased to beef up the navy's fleet, had been named KD Tunku Abdul Rahman and KD Tun Razak. The former arrived in Malaysia in September 2009, followed by the latter in July 2010
Media reports stated that Najib arrived at the MACC headquarters about 9.30am to facilitate investigation over an unspecified case
Mongolian national Altantuya Shaaribuu, who was murdered by two former elite police personnel, was also implicated in the deal
However, documents which surfaced in 2013, including a contract signed on June 5, 2002, between the Malaysian government and French supplier DCN International, Spanish supplier Izar Construcciones Navales, and Malaysian service provider Perimekar Sdn Bhd had debunked this
Razak Baginda, who confessed to having an affair with her, was acquitted of abetting the crime
Najib has repeatedly denied having any links with the case
In May 2018, former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram urged the authorities to reopen the probe into the Scorpene deal
He said it is necessary to relook into the purported kickbacks in the case owing to the other related allegations
"This includes the handing over of suitcases of cash, coupled with a spending spree in Paris, as well as the dastardly murder of Altantuya
"One may well ask why former attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail did not secure the arrest and detention of two police officers pending the public prosecutor's appeal to the Federal Court,” he added
Consultancy servicesFormer police special operations personnel chief inspector Azilah Hadri and corporal Sirul Azhar Umar were found guilty of murdering Altantuya in January 2015 and sentenced to death
However, Sirul (photo) had fled to Australia when the pair was acquitted prior to the Federal Court overturning the decision
In January 2016, it was reported that a former boss of an international subsidiary of Thales, the French company alleged to have paid the commissions to Najib and the Malaysian official, was indicted in a French court over the deal
According to AFP, Bernard Baiocco, 72, former president of Thales International Asia (Thint Asia), was indicted on Dec 15, 2015 for "active bribery of foreign public officials linked to Najib Razak."The report named Razak Baginda, who is a former political analyst, as the person who allegedly received the kickbacks
In February 2016, he reportedly admitted to receiving around €30 million (RM137 million) for consultancy services in the Scorpene submarine deal
The Financial Times reported, however, that Razak Baginda denied any of the money went to bribing government officials on behalf of Thales
He also denied having served as a paid adviser to Najib, and said he "rarely" spoke to him about the submarine deal "over a cup of tea."AFP reported last year said that Razak Baginda was charged in France over the alleged kickbacks in the sale of the submarines.
This was subsequently denied by his office, which said that reports of the charge were misleading
When contacted today, Razak Baginda declined to comment on the MACC reopening its investigation into the matter. "In any event, I am always ready to cooperate with the authorities if called upon, in any investigation," he told Malaysiakini. -Mkini

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