'Suaram being probed for sedition over fundraiser'

VIDEO | 1.20 min

Human Rights NGO Suaram is being investigated for sedition believed to be linked to its fundraising dinner on July 19.

In a posting on its official Facebook page, the NGO said police had informed the group of this today, after requesting contact details for the organiser of the event.

"Our executive director (E Nalini, right) contacted the police and during the conversation the police officer informed (her) that Suaram (is) being investigated under the Sedition Act," it said. 

When contacted, Nalini said the officer, who is from the Petaling Jaya police district headquarters, claimed he was acting on a police report.

“I asked why the police want the organiser's details. He said it's because something happened during the dinner. When I asked what happened, he didn't want to the answer,” she said. 

“I also told him that all the organiser’s details can be found online.”

She added that Suaram will request further information via their lawyer. 

The event had been organised to raise funds for Suaram's court case in France, relating to alleged kickbacks in the purchase of two Scorpene-class submarines by the Malaysian government in 2002. 

The dinner featured lawyer Americk Sidhu, who had represented private investigator P Balasubramaniam. 

Political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda had hired Balasubramaniam to deal with Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu while she was in Malaysia to seek out Abdul Razak. 

At the dinner, Americk spoke of Altantuya's murder in 2006 by two former bodyguards of then defence minister Najib Abdul Razak. The two have since appealed the conviction.

In 2009, Suaram filed a corruption suit against French-based naval defence firm DCNS, for allegedly paying 114.9 million euro (RM452 million) in illegal commissions to Perimekar Sdn Bhd - a company partly owned by Abdul Razak.

On Saturday, Suaram secretariat member Cynthia Gabriel (right)was served a summons by the police to give a statement on the dinner, under Section 112 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

She has described the action as a “second round of harassment” since the extended Registrar of Societies probe into the NGO last year.