French Scorpene: Najib a wanted 'fugitive' in Europe if he refuses call to testify?

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has advised Prime Minister Najib Razak to testify in the RM7.3bil Scorpene corruption trial that has just begun in Paris, or risk being ostracized in the European Union where he would be regarded as a fugitive from the law if he refused to give evidence if required by the French court.

"Show to the whole world that you dare to testify because you have nothing to hide, that there is no cover up, no hanky panky, no corruption," Guan Eng, who is also the DAP secretary-general, told a press conference on Monday.

Guan Eng warned that should Najib fail to comply with the requests of the French courts, he risked not only damaging Malaysia's reputation but also hindering his own ability to perform his duties as the country's leader.

"I think the Prime Minister should actually offer assistance to testify if required by the French authorities. In these Eurpoean countries, if you are required to give evidence and you refuse, they can always subpoena you, issue a warrant of arrest," said Guan Eng.

"It is not just about France and Malaysia but in every country in the Eurozone because this is the EU (European Union. It can be Poland or Italy, it actually goes across the boundaries and we wouldn't want to be caught in such situations."

Fugitive in the EU if he refuses any request to testify

Indeed, it would hamper Najib's ability not only to travel to the Eurozone for working visits, diplomacy or to lead business delegations, European leaders might not wish to acknowledge or consort with him since he would considered as a fugitive of the European courts.

Perhaps this is why Najib and wife Rosmah Mansor were alleged to have sent high-profile Umno lawyer Shafee Abdullah off to several countries in Europe including France to sort out matter with the authorities there. Shafee has since denied going on on a "sercret mission", while Najib has been defensive about the matter.

“I don’t need to comment... I don’t want to comment, thank you,” Najib told reporters on Sunday.

The same tone was taken by Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who said he would not attend the Scorpene probe, and that Putrajaya would be sending any representatives either.

“Why should I appear? I am not a witness! If I appear, who will pay for my expenses? I don’t want to use my money and the government’s money,” Ahmad was reported as saying by Sin Chew Daily on Saturday. He had previously said he would attend.

Clear evidence against "specific" Malaysia officials

In France, a court case has begun to investigate if French arms vendor DCN had corruptly induced Malaysian officials to buy 2 Scorpene submarines in 2002. The compliant was filed by Malaysian NGO SUARAM in 2010 after it failed to get the Malaysian Parliament, the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission, the police and Najib's BN government to respond to public demand for a full-scale probe.

"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," SUARAM director Cynthia Gabriel had said last week upon getting the French court to give the green light to a full investigative trial.

"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 to investigate our complaints."

According to Suaram lawyer Joseph Brehem, the investigations on the French side have so far provided sufficient evidence to suspect that "specific" Malaysian officials did take 'bribes' or kickbacks from Scorpenes vendor DCN - which is illegal under the French law.

“Investigations on the French side so far have provided sufficient evidence to point fingers at specific Malaysian officials’ involvement in the Scorpene commission. For us to arrive at this stage of the hearing is a gigantic step in the pursuit of the Scorpene commissions, one of the biggest corruption scandals in Malaysia in recent years," said Brehem.

Chief suspects

Although Brehem did not mention names, Najib has long been accused of having received a RM570mil kickback from DCN paid allegedly to a firm, Perimekar, which is controlled by his close friend Razak Baginda.

Intertwined with the bribery scandal is the murder of the 28-year-old Mongolian beauty Altantuya Shaariibuu, who traveled with Baginda during his trips allegedly in connection with the Scorpenes purchase. She was murdered in Malaysia in 2006 and is believed to have been lovers with both Najib and Baginda.

Baginda has admitted he had an affair with Altantuya but not Najib, who is also the president of Malaysia's ruling party Umno. Najib has not only denied ever knowing Altantuya but even took an oath on the Quran to prove his innocence.

However, it looks like he may have been rumbled because Altantuya's father, Setev Shaariibuu, has said his daughter came to Malaysia specifically to meet Najib to "decide something". Setev also said he has seen a photo of his daughter together with Najib and Baginda and that "many others" too have seen this photo.

Nowhere left to hide

Setev had come to Kuala Lumpur earlier this month to hurry the Malaysian government to hear the appeal of two former cops sentenced to hang for Altantuya's death.

The two killers were Najib's former bodyguards, bolstering the case for suspicion against the PM and his wife Rosmah Mansor. The first couple have denied involvement in the murder, while Baginda was controversially acquitted of abetting the two cops into shooting the allegedly pregnant Altantuya and then bombing her body with C4 military-grade explosives to prevent identification..

The sensational corruption and murder scandal has refused to go away despite Najib and his Umno-BN coalition trying their best to sweep it under the rug. However, once called to the French witness stand, there is nowhere for Najib to hide anymore but to face up to the Malaysian people and Altanutya's family.

"The public should demand that there is full accountability. If the French authorities think that it is serious eough to warrant a judicial investigation, it shows that there is basis and they are actually investigating their own company for breaking the law," said Guan Eng.

Malaysia Chronicle