Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu has agreed to meet with French lawyers engaged by human rights NGO Suaram on a legal suit filed in France involving Malaysia's purchase of two Scorpene submarines in a deal inked in 2002.
Asked if he was willing to be brief by the lawyers - William Bourdon and Apoline Cagnat - on the court case currently heard in Paris, Mohamad replied, "anytime".
"They should now write to me officially on the matter so that we can set a date for their visit to Malaysia," Mohamad told Malaysiakini when met at a buka puasa event organised by the minister in his hometown - Kampung Guar Petai in Tasek Gelugor, Penang, yesterday.
Asked if the immigration ban on Bourdon, which was imposed in 2011, could be lifted so that the lawyers can freely enter the country to carry out their mission, Mohamad, who is widely referred to as Mat Sabu, replied in the positive.
"Yes, it would be, just as others who were previously barred are now allowed to enter the country, like Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown."
He said efforts are currently underway to form a task force or committee to study the various contracts inked with the Ministry of Defence, including the deal to purchase the submarines, which is the subject of a court case in Paris.
Suaram case filed in 2011
The case, filed by Suaram in 2011, involves the alleged payment of kickbacks, amounting to millions of ringgit, paid to Malaysian officials.
"I have discussed the matter with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and we are now planning to form the committee to study these contracts," Mohamad said.
"We will handle the matter professionally, and like I have said earlier, our actions will be based on facts and not hearsay," he added.
When he took office on May 22, Mohamad, who is also Amanah president, vowed to probe BN-era scandals under the ministry, and pledged the move would be based on "facts and not heresy".
Last week, Bourdon told Malaysiakini his team was planning to brief Mindef and Mohamad as early as July, to facillitate the ongoing court proceedings in Paris.
The briefing would include all matters related to the case, including the possible indictment of the defence minister when the Scorpene purchase deal was drawn up, Najib Abdul Razak.
Najib, the former prime minister who was ousted from his post after Pakatan Harapan defeated the BN in the May 9 general election, is currently under investigation over the 1MDB scandal.
His close associate, political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda (photo), was indicted by the French Tribunal deGrande Instance on July 18 last year for alleged involvement in receiving the illegal kickbacks from Paris-based shipyard builders Thales and DCNS.
According to Bourdon, the briefing to Mindef is crucial as the French lawyers have not been able to obtain cooperation from the previous Malaysian administration prior to GE14.
Filed by Suaram directors Kua Kia Soong and Cynthia Gabriel, the case had led to the indictment of several officers from the shipyard firm, for allegedly paying kickbacks amounting to millions of dollars to Malaysian officials linked to the deal.
Other than Malaysia, Bourdon's team is also seeking long overdue cooperation with Hong Kong administration over the French authorities' probe linked to Terasasi, a company which allegedly received remunerations that appear to have been redistributed as kickbacks, amounting to millions of dollars in “consultation fees”.
Terasasi is a Hong Kong-based company owned by Abdul Razak and his father, and the lack of cooperation in Hong Kong had obstructed the identification of the beneficiaries of those potential kickbacks.
The Scorpene corruption scandal centres on the payment of €114 million ( RM570 million) in commissions and kickbacks made by shipbuilders Thales and DCNS to Malaysian officials through a company called Perimekar Sdn Bhd (Perimekar), also allegedly owned by Abdul Razak, for the purchase of the two submarines by the Malaysian navy.
Other than Abdul Razak, five individuals in Paris have been indicted by the French Court for their involvement in the scandal, where they are accused of allegedly paying kickbacks to Malaysian officials. -Mkini
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