SCORPENE lawyers accept Anwar's invite: But Najib must assure SAFETY & NO DEPORTATION

Renowned French human rights lawyers William Bourdon and Joseph Breham have agreed to accept the invitation of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to come to Kuala Lumpur and brief the Malaysian Parliament on the latest status of the Scorpenes corruption trial, provided that they will not be deported from the country or subjected to any physical harassment and intimidation.

"Both William and Joseph told Anwar they will come but they would like an assurance from the BN government that they won't be turned away at the airport and their time wasted. They also want to be assured that their physical safety will not be threatened," PKR vice president Tian Chua toldMalaysia Chronicle.

"These are reasonable requests since they will be coming at the invitation of a Malaysian parliamentary leader and for the purpose of updating the country's lawmakers and the people on the latest findings on a matter of great national importance. Even though it might be 'sensitive' to Najib and Umno, the Malaysian people have a right to know how their money has been spent. If Najib and Umno are innocent, they should not fear."

In Paris to attend a seminar, Anwar also met and invited lawyers acting for Malaysian NGO SUARAM and French naval firm DCNS to Kuala Lumpur.  Bourdon and Breham act for SUARAM, while Olivier Metzner who acts for DCNS has yet to reply.

Hot potato

The French trial is a hot potato for Prime Minister Najib Razak's government and his Umno party.

Both Najib and Umno have been accused of obtaining illegal kickbacks in the RM7.3billion acquisition of 2 Scorpene submarines from DCNS. The deal was sealed in 2002, when Najib was the Defense minister, and the ships reached Malaysian waters in 2010.

Although they have denied wrongdoing, they have resisted calls from civil rights groups to investigate and audit the deal, forcing SUARAM to go to Paris in 2010 to file a corruption complaint against DCNS.

If found guilty, DCNS may have to compensate the Malaysian people for the over-pricing caused by the alleged illegal commission paid to Najib and his Umno party. As for Najib and his party, they would have little choice but to finally face up to the music.

The Najib administration has also acted harshly against SUARAM and its French legal team. Bourdon, who was in Kuala Lumpur with his wife last year to update Malaysian groups on the case, was suddenly deported. Breham was forced to hold a media briefing in Bangkok earlier this year, with the Malaysian immigration authorities refusing to give valid reasons for barring him from entering the country.

'Traitor' SUARAM backfires: International NGOs zoom in on M'sia

SUARAM too is facing tremendous pressure from the Najib administration.

It has been accused of obtaining foreign funding including from Jewish billionaire George Soros to topple Najib's Umno-BN government. The Companies Commission of Malaysia has also threatened to charge SUARAM for "misleading accounts", which the NGO has denied. It has vowed to fight back, denouncing Najib for "persecution" due to the Scorpenes trial.

Najib's heavy-handedness against SUARAM may backfire although he is not expected to ease up, given that his political survival is at stake. The uneven David vs Goliath battle has attracted the attention top global civil rights movements such as Amnesty International.

“Amnesty is concerned that the recent government actions against SUARAM appear to be linked to the organisation’s legitimate work, in particular a corruption case which it has brought before the French courts," Amnesty had said in a recent statement.

“The government began these actions against SUARAM four weeks after the organisation disclosed new information from documents made available by the French public prosecutor’s office, which implicate Malaysian officials in the corruption allegations."

French trial picks up speed

Indeed, with the summer holidays over, the French trial is expected to pick up speed. Just days ago, SUARAM revealed that its lawyers have succeeded in serving their first summons on a witness list that includes Najib, his close aide and alleged proxy for receiving the commission Razak Baginda, as well as current Defense minister Zahid Hamidi.

Although SUARAM did not name the witness who had been subpoenaed, speculation is rife it was Jasbir Singh Chahl, who was allegedly Baginda's right-hand man. Baginda, who was also a negotiator in the Scorpenes acquisition, has been accused of taking an illegal kickback from DCNS amounting to at least 114 million euros.

Malaysia Chronicle