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Scorpene scandal: ‘Truth to surface soon’
Athi Shankar | July 22, 2011
French lawyer William Bourdon says corruption related to the submarine deal will be exposed when a judge is picked in September to hear the case.
GEORGE TOWN: The French investigative judge who will hear the case into the Scorpene submarine scandal will be picked in September and the truth will be exposed, said prominent human rights lawyer William Bourdon.
The Frenchman said he would then have smooth access to scrutinise all documents and interview major witnesses pertaining to the submarine deal between Malaysia and France.
“I would be able to disclose more information on the case and identify those involved,” he said after a speech at Suaram’s fundraiser dubbed “Ops Scorpene” in Bayan Baru here last night.
Suaram filed a case against French naval defence giant DCNS in 2009 over irregularities in the Scorpene deal between Malaysia and France.
Bourdon, who has been providing pro bono services for Suaram in the case, said currently he had limited access to relevant information, documents and witnesses.
Under the French justice system, an investigative judge has the power to perform both as a judge and investigating prosecutor.
All relevant papers on the submarine deal between France and Malaysia are with the court now and only an investigative judge can allow the documents for public access.
Bourdon said when the case goes to open trial, all documents and contracts will be made public and witnesses, including Malaysian officials, can be subpoenaed.
The Scorpene scandal involves commissions amounting to 114.96 million euros (RM574.8 million) paid to Malaysian consulting company Perimekar Sdn Bhd.
A French prosecution probe revealed another 30 million euros (RM150 million) paid to DCNS’ commercial network Thales and another 2.5 million euros (RM7.5 million) paid to an unknown recipient.
Perimekar is a subsidiary of KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd, of which the major shareholder is the wife of Abdul Razak Baginda, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s close confidante who was charged with and acquitted of the murder of translator Altantuya Shariibuu.
Social responsibility
Last night’s dinner kick-started Suaram’s “Ops Scorpene” fundraising events. “Ops Scorpene” is a awareness campaign to pursue the case in French courts as a matter of national interest.
Bourdon and his team of lawyers at Sherpa, a non-profit organisation he founded in 2001, focus on improving legal tools to promote corporate social responsibility.
He specialises in the defence of human rights and victims of crimes against humanity.
Bourdon hinted that the “Ops Scorpene” investigation can take years depending on the access to information, documentation and cooperation to be extended by the Malaysian authorities.
He hopes Paris and Kuala Lumpur would cement close working ties, once the investigative judge had been appointed, to expedite his investigation.
He hopes that the Malaysian authorities would cooperate with his investigations. No matter how long it takes, Bourdon is convinced that the case would finally see the light.
“In the end, the truth will be known and exposed. Justice will prevail,” said Bourdon, who declined to deliberate much about his probe thus far.
Suaram board director Cynthia Gabriel, PKR’s Batu parliamentarian Tian Chua, DAP veteran MP Lim Kit Siang and PAS deputy president Mohamed Sabu all spoke at the dinner last night. |
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Post Last Edit by DavidLee19 at 23-7-2011 17:12
My suggestion ... Malaysia should declare a war to France .. and then Najib should work together with Ghadafi from Libya to form a joint islamic army to invade France and take Sarkozy to the international court ..
Najib is STRONG ... |
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French Scorpene lawyer detained at KLIA
NEWS/COMMENTARIES
Friday, 22 July 2011
Super Admin
(The Malaysian Insider) - French lawyer Willian Bourdon has been detained at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport after attending a dinner in Penang last night where he briefed the audience on the progress of judicial investigations in France into the controversial RM7 billion Scorpene submarines that Malaysia bought.
Suaram director Cynthia Gabriel, who has been escorting Bourdon during his visit, said immigration officers detained the lawyer in the plane on his landing from Penang just before noon today, and taken to a holding area.
“Immigration officers came into the aircraft to detain him for questioning,” she said in a text message to The Malaysian Insider. “He is now in a holding centre and his wife is separated from him.”
PKR leader and lawyer Latheefa Koya was on her way to the airport to represent Bourdon, and said that “we suspect it has to do with his speech last night”, as Bourdon was yesterday allowed to enter the country with no problems.
The purchase of two submarines from French defence company DCNS in 2004 and 2005 was made when Datuk Seri Najib Razak was still defence minister and a company run by Abdul Razak Baginda, said to be a close aide of the prime minister, was reported to have received a RM500 million commission from the deal.
Human rights groups and opposition parties here also linked the episode to the 2006 murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shariibuu.
Bourdon had arrived here from Penang, where he spoke at a fundraiser organised by rights group Suaram regarding the Scorpene submarine deal.
He is scheduled to speak at a similar event tonight in Petaling Jaya.
In December 2009, Suaram filed a complaint with the French courts asking for access to information regarding government contracts signed with Abdul Razak’s Perimekar Sdn Bhd and other information classified as official secrets in Malaysia.
The French courts accepted the request to investigate claims of graft in the RM500 million payment from DCNS to Perimekar.
http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/newscommentaries/42251-french-scorpene-lawyer-detained-at-klia |
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Malaysia to deport French lawyer for rights group
NEWS/COMMENTARIES
Friday, 22 July 2011
Combat
(AP) - KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysian authorities will deport a French lawyer representing a human rights group in a court case accusing shipbuilder DCNS of corruption in a $1.2 billion submarine deal with Malaysia, activists said Friday.
William Bourdon was suddenly taken into custody Friday with no reasons given and was told he would be deported, said Cynthia Gabriel of the Malaysian rights group Suaram.
She accused the government of "paranoia" in targeting Bourdon. Government officials couldn't be immediately reached for comment.
Bourdon represents Suaram, which filed complaints with a French prosecutor in 2009 alleging corruption in a 114 million euro ($164 million) fee DCNS paid to Malaysian firm Perimekar Sdn. Bhd. to facilitate the submarine deal.
Gabriel said Bourdon arrived in northern Penang state Thursday and spoke at a dinner about the case, which is set to go to trial in September. He flew to Kuala Lumpur Friday for another forum, and immigration officials boarded the plane to detain him right after his flight landed, she said.
"Bourdon told us that he is going to be deported. He said he was made to sign a document in the Malay language. He said he wrote a statement in French to protest his deportation, as he didn't violate any laws," she told The Associated Press, after speaking to Bourdon on his mobile phone.
Gabriel said Bourdon in his talk on Thursday gave an update about the status of the case, on the French judicial system and what to expect from the trial.
"He didn't reveal anything damning. This is just an act of paranoia, another irrationality by the government. They are afraid of their own shadows," she said.
Malaysia ordered two diesel-electric Scorpene attack submarines in 2002 as part of a naval upgrade. Prime Minister Najib Razak was defense minister at the time. Malaysian firm Perimekar is owned by the wife of Abdul Razak Baginda, a controversial figure who once was Najib's aide and a close friend.
Najib has denied there was any corruption. Malaysian defense officials have said the fee was paid to Perimekar for coordination and support services. But critics argued that Perimekar was formed only a few months before the contract was inked, had no track record in submarine services and didn't have the financial ability to support the contract.
Suaram has said it plans to take legal action against Perimekar and the Malaysian government if the French court rules there is corruption by DCNS.
The case could embarrass Najib and hamper his ruling coalition's effort to bolster support ahead of general elections that many expect to be held next year. Malaysia has received both the submarines.
Perimekar's connection with Abdul Razak is also controversial in other aspects. He was acquitted in 2008 of abetting in the murder of his ex-mistress, a Mongolian woman. Abdul Razak confessed to having an affair with her and said she was blackmailing him. The woman was shot and her body blown up with military-grade explosives in October 2006.
Two policemen working in security were later convicted and sentenced to death for murdering the Mongolian, although prosecutors failed to show any motive. Suaram has said initial investigations by their French lawyers showed the Mongolian had worked as a translator for Abdul Razak in the submarine deal.
http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/newscommentaries/42264-malaysia-to-deport-french-lawyer-for-rights-group |
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French lawyer deported for visa violation
Stephanie Sta Maria and Tashny Sukumaran | July 22, 2011
Immigration officials will be putting William Bourdon and his wife on the first flight back to France today.
FULL REPORT
PETALING JAYA: Prominent French human rights lawyer William Bourdon will be deported tonight after being detained for more than four hours by immigration and police officials at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Bourdon has been served the deportation order and he will be leaving Kuala Lumpur at 11.30pm along with his wife Lea Forestier to Paris.
Bourdon, in a brief statement, said that the Malaysian police had ordered him to leave the country as soon as possible.
He said when he explained that his return ticket to Paris was only on Sunday, he was told that he would be detained until then.
“We have decided to find the earliest return flight possible at our own costs. I don’t understand this decision as no explanation has been given to me so far,” he added in his hand-written note (photo, below).
“I hereby declare that I have acted as the lawyer for Suaram in full respect of my duties and rules and in perfect compliance with national and international laws.
“I consider that this deportation decision is a breach in the right to freely exercise my profession as a lawyer,” he said.
The Immigration Department said that Bourdon was being deported for violating the terms of his social visit pass.
Bourdon had arrived here from Penang, where he spoke at an event organised by rights group Suaram regarding the controversial Scorpene submarine deal. He was scheduled to give another speech tonight in Petaling Jaya on the submarine scandal, followed by another in Ipoh tomorrow.
But when his Malaysia Airlines flight landed at 11.40am, three immigration officials came on board to escort him off the aircraft. Bourdon was taken to the holding centre where he was questioned for four hours.
‘Banana republic’
Suaram executive director, Cynthia Gabriel told FMT that she managed to speak to Bourdon and that he was being held in the Immigration Enforcement Division, pending the deportation.
“The officials asked him to sign deportation papers in Bahasa Malaysia and of course he refused,” she said. “The French Embassy officials are currently in negotiations with the immigration officials. But the Bourdons are definitely going back to France tonight.”
Meanwhile Fadiah Nadwa Fikri from Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) said that Forestier was released earlier and that she was on her way to the division where Bourdon is being held.
“He has been denied access to lawyers which is ridiculously absurd. And none of the officials have issued any statement on the grounds for his detention.”
According to Fadiah, Forestier was “very shocked and upset over the arbitrariness of situation.”
“Only other experience of William and I denied entry was Tunisia under BenAli… there was a banana republic!,” Forestier was reported to have said, according to tweets from local activists.
The authorities also failed to acknowledge the fact that Bourdon was Suaram’s lawyer on the submarine case and that his deporation would be a breach of his right to perform his duty as a lawyer.
Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah, and Batu MP Tian Chua, are also at KLIA but their attempts to meet with Bourdon have been denied.
Meanwhile the French Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Bernard Valero said that their main concern was to ensure Bourdon and his wife were safely in the plane to Paris.
He said the French embassy in Kuala Lumpur had done its best to ensure the wellbeing of Bourdon and Forestier.
“Our policy is to make every effort to ensure that international laws are respected,”said Valero.
The submarine deal
In June 2002, the Malaysian government signed an agreement with French DCNS and Spainish Navantia for the procurement of two Scorpene class submarines.
The procurement contract was through direct negotiation with the manufacturing companies, said to be with the service of Perimekar Sdn Bhd, linked to academic Abdul Razak Baginda.
The Scorpene issue had been mired in controversy with allegations of kickbacks and linked to the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Razak, a close aide of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, was charged with abetting the murder but was later acquitted.
The controversy had even forced Najib to swear on the Quran to clear his name.
The French authorities are currently probing the deal.
In December 2009, Suaram filed a complaint with the French courts asking for access to information regarding government contracts signed with Perimekar and other information classified as official secrets in Malaysia.
In April 2010, the French courts accepted the request to investigate the claim of corruption for a payment amounting to 114 million euros from DCNS to Perimekar.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/07/22/scorpene-lawyer-arrested/ |
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Our third submarine stirs up muddy waters
Mariam Mokhtar | November 18, 2011
How much did the Malaysian taxpayer pay for the Agosta-class submarine? When was it purchased and when was it decided to hand it over to Ali Rustam?
COMMENT
When the Malaysian government signed a deal in 2002 with the joint naval builders, DCNS of France and Navantia of Spain, to commission two Scorpene-class submarines, it did not realise that the purchases would create an international scandal.
The controversy surrounding the Scorpene-class submarines refuses to sink into oblivion. Now, attention is focused on the little known Agosta-class submarine, the Ouessant (S623), which was completed in 1978 and served the French navy until she was decommissioned in 2001. It appears Malaysia also owns the Ouessant.
A few readers may recall very sketchy details about a third submarine which was used to train the Malaysian submariners. That was the Agosta-class Ouessant, which the “Asia Sentinel” described in its reporting on the Scorpene scandal as a “retired submarine manufactured by a joint venture between DCN and Spanish company Agosta”.
Opposition politicians have bombarded Umno with questions about the submarine deal but have been thwarted by unintelligent and conflicting answers from the Defence Ministry.
Now, the curious case of the Agosta-class submarine, the Ouessant (S623), is only just surfacing.
“The Asia Sentinel” stated in April 2010 that this third ageing submarine was leased for training purposes.
However, we are now told that the Malaysian Navy has bought the Ouessant, the Agosta-class submarine.
If so when? And, for how much?
Why has there been no mention of the Ouessant until we hear that it will be made into part of Malacca’s maritime museum?
Gaining ownership of the Ouessant is akin to learning to drive in a 20-year-old Proton Saga, then buying the car for RM200,000 only to use it as a reban ayam (chicken coop).
So, was the Agosta thrown in as as sweetener for the purchase of the two Scorpenes? Did the French try to appease the Malaysians because one of the Scorpenes was faulty?
Malaysians first read of the Agosta-class submarine in a rather obscure report by Bernama on April 22, 2011, when the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) chief Admiral Abdul Aziz Jaafar said that the Ouessant was unsuitable for naval operations but would be converted into a museum piece to show the progress made by the RMN.
Abdul Aziz said, “We are expecting its arrival in August. There will be a signing ceremony between the Defence Ministry secretary-general and the French side before it is handed over to us.
“It is a second-hand submarine we bought for training RMN personnel. Now that its services are no longer needed, it will be brought to the Lumut naval base in August”.
RM12.6 million museum project
Abdul Aziz explained that the Ouessant had been used as a training submarine for the submariners of the two Scorpene-class submarines KD Tunku Abdul Rahman and KD Tun Abdul Razak, which were commissioned in 2009 and 2010.
Then on the Sept 23, the Malaysian Ambassador to France, Abdul Aziz Zainal and the Director of International Development in the French Defence Ministry Yves Blanc, signed the documents for the transfer of ownership of the Ouessant.
The submarine was then transported on a floating dock to Malaysia in early October in an operation organised by Felda Transport. After being at sea for 32 days, the Ouessant arrived off the Malacca coast.
Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam said that the submarine would be transported to the exhibition site at the 1Malaysia Square, Klebang.
During the site visit, Ali explained that the Malacca government had been given custody of the French-made Ouessant. The submarine museum project, he said, had cost RM12.6 million and would attract more tourists to Malacca.
Earlier, Abdul Aziz denied that Malaysia’s first two Scorpenes, KD Tunku Abdul Rahman and KD Tun Abdul Razak, were not operational and he affirmed that they were “in the open sea and operating smoothly”.
He also rubbished claims that kickbacks were involved in the purchase of the two Scorpenes, and by way of assurance, stated that neither the European Union nor the RMN condoned such acts.
Is Abdul Aziz really that naïve?
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) convention states that it is a crime to bribe foreign public officials in international business transactions.
The OECD convention may have been signed by countries in Europe but it didn’t prevent former premier Tony Blair from stopping investigations into allegations of kickbacks by the arms company BAE and the Saudi royal family, under the guise of national interest and security for Britain.
There are numerous questions about the purchase of Malaysia’s Scorpene submarines.
Why did the Malaysian government omit to procure the weapons systems for the two submarines and why did they purchase submarines that were not fitted out for use in tropical waters?
The empty shells that were purchased then had to be equipped with torpedoes, sea-to-surface missiles and mines, all of which cost the taxpayers several millions more ringgit. Perimekar Sdn Bhd, which received the kickback in the Scorpene deal, is intricately linked with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak through his friend Razak Baginda and Baginda’s wife, Mazalinda.
Baginda and his wife are co-owners of Perimekar and it is alleged that the Scorpene deal involved kickbacks, money-laundering and a series of unexplained “co-ordination services”.
What is the actual cost of the submarines?
What does the Malaysian government mean by “co-ordination services”, “supporting the contract” and for “housing the crew” of the submarines in France? A sum of 114 million euro was paid to Perimekar for these services.
Why was KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd, the company which owns Perimekar, set up just before the payout of 114 million euro? This company has done little since.
Why did the Malaysian officials forget about the maintenance contract for the Scorpenes? Why did they also forget to buy weapons for the Scorpenes, one of which was reported to have diving problems?
What is the actual cost of the Scorpene submarines? And how much did the Malaysian taxpayers pay for the Ouessant? When was it purchased and when was it decided to hand it over to Ali Rustam?
One hopes that Malaysia will not end up with three submarines in the Malacca maritime museum.
We would be the envy of the world with three submarines as exhibits. Tourists will flock to Malacca to view them. Probably.
Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/11/18/our-third-submarine-stirs-up-muddy-waters/
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Selain daripada isu yang dok gali balik, aku kelako baca 'berita' kat atas tu...antaranya
“retired submarine manufactured by a joint venture between DCN and Spanish company Agosta”.
Wa ni kerja kampung ajer tapi kurang2 wa tak pernah dengar pulak ada shipbuilder kat Sepanyol nama 'Agosta'...dah la tu, zaman 70an mana ada JV2 sangat....Agosta tu sah2 le French design....
OK granted tak pasti samada mmg Ouessant dibeli atau dipindahmilik secara free...tapi khabar angin Ouessant nak dibawak balik dan tukar jadi muzium dah lama dah....reputz ni aje baru tau
Analogi dia mmg kelako le...wa nak tau, ada ke orang melawat reban ayam?
Dan pasal senjata tu lagi la lawak..... |
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Reply 248# alphawolf
mekacih tolong up kan thread nie......  |
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mekacih tolong up kan thread nie......
Acong Post at 4-12-2011 21:20 
aiyaaakk...acong lu sula makang ubat cacing ka ? |
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aiyaaakk...acong lu sula makang ubat cacing ka ?
eltoro Post at 5-12-2011 20:33  |
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polis peranchis yang diupah oleh acong untuk
siasat kes tuya rekaan acong perlukan 30 tahun lagi
untuk terus menyiasat. sumber : acong kaki cong daily |
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polis peranchis yang diupah oleh acong untuk
siasat kes tuya rekaan acong perlukan 30 tahun lagi
untuk terus menyiasat. sumber : acong kaki cong daily |
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Reply 254# d'zeck
drpd ko dok SPAM kat sini, elok ko gi jaga lembu NFC kat kondo one terung.......  |
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Dari lu lagi kasik gali kubor lama, kasi langgar isu baru la, Acong .... |
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aku bukan indon yg suka makan taik........
Acong Post at 6-12-2011 07:51
aiyaaak acong lu belak talak basuh maaaaa... |
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aiyaaak acong lu belak talak basuh maaaaa...
eltoro Post at 6-12-2011 20:03
tak tau lak indon ada hobi cium pongkoq...... |
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mana ko tau aku tak basuh? ko bila cium pungkoq aku bau taek?
tak tau lak indon ada hobi cium pon ...
Acong Post at 7-12-2011 02:10
aiyaaak acong kaki lasuah lu lapat luit lasuah abih mai judi talak mali ubat cacing lu talak lengal wa cakap wa talak tipu maaa |
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aiyaaak acong kaki lasuah lu lapat luit lasuah abih mai judi talak mali ubat cacing lu talak len ...
eltoro Post at 7-12-2011 02:44  |
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Author
Post time 23-7-2011 09:42 AM
![[tvN/Netflix 2024] QUEEN OF TEARS - Kim Soo Hyun, Kim Ji Won, Park Sung Hoon](https://uf.cari.com.my/forumx/mforum/block/f6/f613b76788751ed27a22bff90355c844.jpg)
