KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will summon four individuals, including a company owner, next week in connection with the investigation into the purchase of Scorpene submarines from a French company.
A source told Utusan Malaysia yesterday that their statements are needed to clarify several matters for further investigation.
The source said that this follows new leads discovered by the MACC from parties abroad.
“MACC has obtained several documents consisting of payments and work from parties abroad. Following that, there have been new findings,” the source said.
The investigation will focus on whether there was any breach of trust or abuse of power in the purchase.
The source told Utusan, “Four companies owned by the family members of the company owner are suspected of receiving certain payments totalling RM42 million that were misappropriated.”
Earlier, the MACC said that it will resume its investigation into the purchase of Scorpene submarines from a French company after new leads were discovered, focusing on the misappropriation of RM42 million.
This amount is part of the RM530 million paid in the contract for support services in the submarine purchase.
A local company that was appointed is also under MACC’s scrutiny for allegedly making payments to several companies without the board of directors’ knowledge.
It is believed that payments totalling RM42 million were misappropriated to companies owned by the company owner’s family members.
The purchase of the submarines sparked controversy in 2010 and involved former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
In 2002, the former prime minister, who was also the defence minister at the time, oversaw the purchase of two Scorpene submarines and one Agosta submarine from French naval shipyard unit DCN (now part of Thales) worth nearly US$1.17 billion (RM5.4 billion).
Najib has been serving his sentence at Kajang prison since August 23, 2022, after the Federal Court upheld his conviction for criminal breach of trust, power abuse and money laundering over the misappropriation of SRC International Sdn Bhd’s RM42 million.
