KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said its officers will travel abroad to meet blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin over his recent allegations about the littoral combat ship (LCS) project.
According to a report by The Star, MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said that the meeting had to take place abroad because Raja Petra could not return to the country.
“We are setting the time, date, and place and the matter is being discussed for us to take a statement from him.
“I believe by next week, my officers can meet Raja Petra,” Azam was quoted as saying.
On Tuesday, the fugitive blogger posted a video on his personal website in which he alleged that Umno president and former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had received kickbacks connected to the LCS project from 2012 to 2013.
He further claimed to be in possession of credible evidence and documents to support his allegations.
Raja Petra then said he would not be making the evidence and documents public, but instead wanted to invite the MACC team to discuss said evidence.
The LCS project is said to be the largest defence procurement in Malaysia’s history with a total cost of RM9 billion.
The project to build six armed vessels capable of near-shore fighting reportedly began in 2013 and is supposed to be completed and delivered to the navy by end of next year.
Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee released a report on August 8 that found the government had already paid RM6.083 billion to the contractor Boustead Naval Shipyard, with not a single vessel delivered despite cost overruns of RM1.4005 billion.
