Human rights NGO Suaram has yesterday successfully argued for its witness statement to be accepted before investigative judge Roger Le Loire in the Paris tribunal Grande Instance.
Suaram filed a case in 2010 against French-owned defence giant DCNS for allegedly paying illegal commissions to top Malaysian officials in the sale of two Scorpene class submarines to the Malaysian government in 2002.
Suaram director Kua Kia Soong, secretariat member Cynthia Gabriel and lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fikri spoke before the judge in a three-hour session in Paris, which ended at 6pm (4am this morning, Malaysian time).
French litigators William Bourdon and Joseph Breham acted on Suaram's behalf.
When contacted, Gabriel (left) said that the team was successful in its presentation before the judge Le Loire - one of the two investigative judges in the case - who have accepted their statement on why an inquiry must be held into the alleged kickbacks.
She added that the judge has accepted Suaram's proposed list of potential witnesses, among them Prime Minister Najib Razak and Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Gabriel said that the hearing was to confirm Suaram's complaint and reaffirmed the need for a judicial investigation into the RM7.3 billion which was inked when Najib was defence minister.
"We told them we were filing the case because the Malaysian Parliament had failed to provide answers that we sought involving the purchase of the submarines," Gabriel told Malaysiakini.
"We also mentioned that we were unable to seek answers to the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu and the failure of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigateour complaints," she stressed.
According to Breham (right), the investigations on the French side so far have provided sufficient evidence to point fingers at specific Malaysian officials' involvement in the commissions - which is illegal under the French law - paid by DCNS to sweeten the Scorpene contract.
"For us to arrive at this stage of the hearing is a gigantic step in the pursuit of the Scorpene's commissions," he said.
Suaram filed a case in 2010 against French-owned defence giant DCNS for allegedly paying illegal commissions to top Malaysian officials in the sale of two Scorpene class submarines to the Malaysian government in 2002.Suaram director Kua Kia Soong, secretariat member Cynthia Gabriel and lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fikri spoke before the judge in a three-hour session in Paris, which ended at 6pm (4am this morning, Malaysian time).
French litigators William Bourdon and Joseph Breham acted on Suaram's behalf.
When contacted, Gabriel (left) said that the team was successful in its presentation before the judge Le Loire - one of the two investigative judges in the case - who have accepted their statement on why an inquiry must be held into the alleged kickbacks.She added that the judge has accepted Suaram's proposed list of potential witnesses, among them Prime Minister Najib Razak and Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Gabriel said that the hearing was to confirm Suaram's complaint and reaffirmed the need for a judicial investigation into the RM7.3 billion which was inked when Najib was defence minister.
"We told them we were filing the case because the Malaysian Parliament had failed to provide answers that we sought involving the purchase of the submarines," Gabriel told Malaysiakini.
"We also mentioned that we were unable to seek answers to the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu and the failure of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigateour complaints," she stressed.According to Breham (right), the investigations on the French side so far have provided sufficient evidence to point fingers at specific Malaysian officials' involvement in the commissions - which is illegal under the French law - paid by DCNS to sweeten the Scorpene contract.
"For us to arrive at this stage of the hearing is a gigantic step in the pursuit of the Scorpene's commissions," he said.
Razak Baginda the 'main character'
Altantuya, believed to be a translator involved in the deal, was murdered by military-grade C-4 explosives in a jungle clearing in Shah Alam between Oct 19 and 20, 2006.
Two of Najib's former bodyguards and a political analyst who was a close ally of the premier, Abdul Razak Baginda (left), were charged for her gruesome murder but the latter was acquitted without his defence being called.
Razak's name has however cropped up at the French inquiry, and Gabriel named him as "the main character in the Perimekar scene".
It has been previously revealed in Parliament that Perimekar received 114 million euro (RM457 million) as "support services" on the sale of the submarines.
Perimekar Sdn Bhd at the time was wholly owned by KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd, which in turn controlled by Razak and his wife, Mazlinda Makhzan.
Perimekar is now owned by the military retirement fund LTAT (Malaysian Armed Forces Fund) and Boustead Holdings.
Pivotal moment in country's history
Meanwhile, Gabriel said the investigation papers on the case have been made available to the Suaram team and "we will reveal the content in stages".
"Our list of possible witnesses are of course Razak and his wife Mazlinda, one Jasbir Singh, Lodin Wok Kamaruddin and Altantuya's father Setev Shaariibuu, who recently agreed to be our witness," she said.
According to whistleblower websiteWikileaks, Lodin heads LTAT and is a close buddy of Najib (left); he also allegedly sits on the board of Affin Bank Bhd, one of Perimekar's bankers.
"It's a pivotal moment to have arrived at this juncture where we can move forward with evidence to uncover the truth in one of the biggest corruption scandals in Malaysia," said Gabriel.
She had also named Najib and Ahmad Zahidi as potential witnesses, and the latter has agreed to testify in court.
Despite assertions by Setev that his daughter came to Malaysia in 2006 to seek to meet Najib prior to her death, and that he has seen a photo of her with him and Razak, the premier has denied any involvement in the case.
Altantuya, believed to be a translator involved in the deal, was murdered by military-grade C-4 explosives in a jungle clearing in Shah Alam between Oct 19 and 20, 2006.
Two of Najib's former bodyguards and a political analyst who was a close ally of the premier, Abdul Razak Baginda (left), were charged for her gruesome murder but the latter was acquitted without his defence being called.Razak's name has however cropped up at the French inquiry, and Gabriel named him as "the main character in the Perimekar scene".
It has been previously revealed in Parliament that Perimekar received 114 million euro (RM457 million) as "support services" on the sale of the submarines.
Perimekar Sdn Bhd at the time was wholly owned by KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd, which in turn controlled by Razak and his wife, Mazlinda Makhzan.
Perimekar is now owned by the military retirement fund LTAT (Malaysian Armed Forces Fund) and Boustead Holdings.
Pivotal moment in country's history
Meanwhile, Gabriel said the investigation papers on the case have been made available to the Suaram team and "we will reveal the content in stages".
"Our list of possible witnesses are of course Razak and his wife Mazlinda, one Jasbir Singh, Lodin Wok Kamaruddin and Altantuya's father Setev Shaariibuu, who recently agreed to be our witness," she said.
According to whistleblower websiteWikileaks, Lodin heads LTAT and is a close buddy of Najib (left); he also allegedly sits on the board of Affin Bank Bhd, one of Perimekar's bankers."It's a pivotal moment to have arrived at this juncture where we can move forward with evidence to uncover the truth in one of the biggest corruption scandals in Malaysia," said Gabriel.
She had also named Najib and Ahmad Zahidi as potential witnesses, and the latter has agreed to testify in court.
Despite assertions by Setev that his daughter came to Malaysia in 2006 to seek to meet Najib prior to her death, and that he has seen a photo of her with him and Razak, the premier has denied any involvement in the case.
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