Photos show that Altantuya was in France

• Susan Loone
• 9:42AM Jun 26, 2012

A Police probe finds the Mongolian translator never entered France from 1999 to 2006, but pictures of her published in 2007 show otherwise, says a report.

While French police investigations have revealed that Altantuya Shaaribuu nevered entered France from 1999 to 2006, there are photographs of her taken in Paris several years ago, that indicate otherwise.

Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/201884

Secret documents sold to French company

Teoh El Sen

 | May 31, 2012















The evaluation documents by the Malaysian Navy on the Scorpene submarine was sold for RM142 million.

PETALING JAYA: A highly-confidential government document — an evaluation by the Malaysian Navy of the Scorpene-class submarine and contract details — was allegedly sold to a French defence company for 36 million euros (RM142 million), according to human rights NGO Suaram.

Lawyers acting for the Suaram in an ongoing French judicial inquiry said that the secret document was sold by Terasasi (Hong Kong) Ltd to French defence giant DCNS, ostensibly for “commercial engineering” works.

This was among the major aspects that the French investigative judge probing the case lodged by Suaram against Paris-owned shipmaker DCNS for alleged corruption are looking at.

According to French lawyer acting for Suaram, Joseph Breham, the French judge had inquired what those payments were and had demanded reports of financial transactions.

The lawyer had said it was even possible that Thales, a subsidiary of DCN, decided to pay the money to obtain the classified document so that it could better its bid for the project.

Directors of the Hong Kong-based Terasasi include Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s close ally Abdul Razak Baginda and the latter’s father Abdul Malim Baginda.

The secret document was allegedly sold to Thales International, also known as Thint Asia, which is a subsidiary of DCN (later known as DCNS).

DCNS is the company central in the legal suit filed by Suaram in 2009 in the French courts, which recently commenced a judicial inquiry at the Tribunal De Grande Instance in Paris.

The inquiry revolves around the RM7.3 billion deal to purchase two Scorpene submarines with DCNS and Spainish Navantia in 2002, when Najib was defence minister. Suaram’s complaint was based on the claim of corruption for a payment amounting to 114 million euros from DCNS to Perimekar.

Perimekar is also directly linked to Abdul Razak who was acquitted of abetting in the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu; while two of Najib’s former bodyguards were convicted for the murder.

Speaking to FMT from Bangkok, Suaram director Cynthia Gabriel said that the selling of the secret document for 36 million euro amounted to an act of treason, on top of it being most probably a corrupt act.

“This is downright illegal. Clearly an act of treason as it is a breach of defence secrets by selling state secrets. It is classified as a confidential document by Royal Malaysian Navy for the government, supposed to be in internal document that comes under the Official Secrets Act, and you sold it to a French company? You are not supposed to do this,” she said.

Devious act

Cynthia said this was “one of the big scandals” that had surfaced from the Suaram trial, and the information was among the hundreds of French’s prosecution investigative documents that Suaram currently has privileged access to.

“Indeed a very devious act. There is clearly a possibility of money laundering, or the money could be channeled to various beneficiaries including political organisations in Malaysia. This is corrupt and we think it is a sweetener to buy off some people,” she said.

“We now want to ask who benefited from this? When we went through the Paris papers. these were among the most startling issues. Before this we only know of Perimeker, now there is the emergence of the company Terasasi was actually key many answers, to showing how the money trail became more complicated, involving another Asian country, in the transfer of monies,” she said.

Cynthia said everybody is “shocked at the scale of the robbery” and “there is no longer space for silence”.

“It has become incumbent on the Malaysian government to give a proper explanation on the money that has been dished out. They cannot keep all these away from the public. We believe that there are many more skeletons in the closets and many more secrets that need to be unraveled .”

Cynthia was together with Breham, lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fikri and R Sivarasa in Bangkok to reveal ‘damning details’ on the Scorpene case. A press conference at the Foreign Correspondence Club of Thailand was held yesterday.

The conference was held in Bangkok as Breham was unable to get a proper visa to enter Malaysia. Another French lawyer acting for Suaram, William Bourdon, was last year deported from Malaysia.

Source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/05/31/scorpene-scandal-secret-documents-sold-to-french-company/

Scorpene scandal: Najib looking at red notice

May 30, 2012

Suaram's privileged access to confidential documents also reveals roles played by a person said to be close to Daim Zainuddin.

PETALING JAYA: There is a possibility of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi being issued an international warrant of arrest if they fail to adhere to French subpoenas to assist in the Scorpene submarine corruption inquiry.

Suaram’s French lawyer Joseph Breham told a press conference in Bangkok today that the French judges hearing the inquiry have discretionary powers to ask the Interpol to issue a red notice (an international warrant of arrest) against witnesses who failed to submit to the French court.

However this would be the last resort to be undertaken to compel witnesses to testify in Paris.

Breham explained that the French court is able to take on several courses of action, in compelling the Malaysian witnesses.

He said that the judges will first issue a subpoena in writing on a witness, and once a subpoena has been issued, the witness is obliged to appear before the courts and to assist the courts in its works.

“If the witness refuses to abide by the subpoena, the court can issue a notice ‘mandate d ‘amener’, compelling the witness to appear before it.

“If the witness fails to oblige, a warrant of arrest may be issued. The warrant of arrest is applicable within the boundaries of the French territory, and may be internationalised, if the judge deems necessary.

“Based on the judges’ discretionary power, they can ask Interpol to issue a red notice i.e an international warrant of arrest,” he added.

He also said that judge Roger Le Loire, one of the two Instruction Judges assigned to oversee the case, had principally accepted Suaram’s list of seven proposed witnesses, including Najib, Zahid Hamidi and Abdul Razak Baginda.

“Judge Le Loire after hearing an elaborate testimony from Suaram, accepted our statement, and promised to proceed with the inquiry with no stone unturned,” said Breham.

He added that on the acceptance of the seven witnesses proposed by Suaram, the French judge had asked for the full details of the persons involved, in order to begin issuing subpoenas as he saw fit.

Legal obligations

In a statement issued by Suaram after the press conference in Bangkok, the human rights NGO said that Malaysia has legal obligations under the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) to cooperate with other nation states in preventing, investigating and prosecuting offenders of corruption.

It added that state parties are bound to render specific forms of mutual legal assistance in gathering and transferring evidence for use in court and to extradite offenders.

Suaram also said that it has gained full privileged access to the 153 investigation papers from the French Public Prosecutor’s office.

“This is a huge step forward, as many of the details kept confidential are now made accessible to Suaram as the civil plaintiff in the criminal case against the DCNS (French shipbuilding company),” it said.

It said that in one document – named Document 97 – was a note for the French Minister of Defense dated June 2, 1999 related to an interview with the Malaysian Defence Minister and the French-Malaysian diplomatic relationships as far as defense is concerned.

“The note states that pursuant to the major defence contracts between France and Malaysia, there is a requirement that substantial transfer of money has to be channeled to individuals and/or political organisations.

“The note specifically states that apart from individuals, the ruling party (Umno) is the biggest beneficiary. Consultants (company agents) are often used as political network agents to facilitate these monetary transfers and to receive commissions from their mandators,” said Suaram’s statement.

Wives’ network

It further said that the note mentioned about Mohd Ibrahim Mohd Noor and Razak Baginda as points of reference for political network, while adding that Mohd Ibrahim Mohd Noor was close to the then Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin and Razak Baginda to the then Defence Minister Najib.

“The note also explains that by early 2001, Mohd Ibrahim Mohd Noor’s influence began to decline following the fall from power of the Minister of Finance, Daim Zainuddin which resulted in the disappearance of Mohd Ibrahim Mohd Noor’s name from Perimekar both as shareholder and director which was later replaced by people of Razak Baginda’s network.

“Razak Baginda eventually becomes the main point of reference for political network to facilitate the money transfer,” added Suaram.

Suaram said the note also pointed out that Razak’s wife was a close friend of Najib’s wife Rosmah Mansor.

Suaram also said that it was holding its press conference in Bangkok – and not in Kuala Lumpur – following the forced deportation of one of Suaram’s lawyers, William Bourdon, last July when he visited Malaysia to speak about the case.

Suaram’s complaint with the French courts for a judicial review of the Scorpene contract in November 2009 has resulted in the commencement of a judicial inquiry at the Tribunal De Grande Instance in Paris.

The inquiry will probe alleged corruption crimes and illegal bribes involving top officials from both Malaysia and France in the sale of two Scorpene submarines by French shipbuilding company DCNS to the Malaysian Defence Ministry, then helmed by Najib.

Source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/05/30/scorpene-scandal-najib-looking-at-red-notice/