LCS scandal: A summary of the events

 

The navy has ordered six frigates of the Maharaja Lela class based on the Gowind 3100 design. (shipshub.com pic)

PETALING JAYA: In December 2011, the defence ministry awarded a RM9 billion contract to Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd for six littoral combat ships as part of the Royal Malaysian Navy’s fleet renewal plan.

A contract was eventually signed in July 2014. BNS would build the six ships with the help of French naval company DCNS beginning in 2015.

The first vessel was slated to be delivered by April 2019, and the five ships to be handed over in six-month intervals until 2023.

Eight years on, none of the ships has been delivered to the navy. How did we get here? Who is to blame? Will heads roll?

Timeline and progress

According to various reports, work on the project began in 2015. The following is a timeline of the project’s progress and developments.

Date	Overall progress and development
January 2016	39.67%
January 2017	46.99%
January 2018	50.15%
July 2018	The Pakatan Harapan government instructs BNS to conduct a forensic audit into the LCS project.
September 2019	The LCS project is suspended pending the outcome of negotiations on variation orders involving the ships’ design and equipment.
January 2020	56.39%
May 2022	The current government resumes the LCS project.

Reactions

The scandal has since made headlines with calls for accountability and answers for the project’s failure.

Pakatan Harapan leaders have demanded that former prime minister Najib Razak and his then defence minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi take responsibility as the project began under their watch.

Both Najib and Zahid have rejected these claims; instead, they blame PH for the project delays.

There have also been calls for the government to declassify reports on the project and set up a royal commission of inquiry.

So far, the government has agreed to declassify a report by the procurement and finance investigation committee under the then auditor-general Ambrin Buang.

Putrajaya also agreed to declassify a forensic audit by BNS on the project, though this is subject to the advice of the attorney-general and auditor-general.

On Thursday, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said it had completed its probe after investigating the project for the past few years.

Several investigation papers have been referred to the Attorney-General’s Chambers with recommendations to charge several people linked to the project.

The LCS scandal is still a developing story, with various politicians and interested parties issuing new statements every day. Whether the public will get answers to the burning questions on the project still remains to be seen. - FMT