Space Travel News  
FLOATING STEEL
Malaysian PM under pressure over French sub deal
by Staff Writers
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Aug 3, 2017


Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak faced renewed questions Thursday over a 2002 sale of submarines to his country after a close associate was charged in France over alleged kickbacks.

Najib, then defence minister, oversaw the deal worth nearly one billion euros ($1.18 billion) to buy two Scorpene-class submarines and one Agosta-class submarine from French naval dockyards unit DCN, which is linked to French defence group Thales.

Abdul Razak Baginda advised Najib at the time. An investigation into the deal was launched in 2010 in response to a complaint from Malaysian rights group Suaram, and investigators allege Abdul Razak received kickbacks.

He was charged in July in France with "active and passive complicity in corruption" and "misappropriation of corporate assets", a French judicial source told AFP this week.

He denies wrongdoing, saying in a statement after the news broke that he had "not committed any crime of corruption or breached any laws in the matter".

On Thursday Suaram, in a joint statement with NGO The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism, urged Malaysian authorities to take action.

"It is no longer tenable for the Malaysian authorities to dismiss the Scorpene deal as above board and keep silent on the damning developments in France," the statement said.

"Najib was the defence minister that signed on the contract then -- we urge for him to answer for what happened then, and what would be the steps taken by Malaysian institutions."

A spokesman in Najib's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Najib has previously denied any link to the graft allegations, rejecting them as a politically motivated smear by the opposition.

As part of the deal DCN agreed to pay 30 million euros to Thales' Asian unit, Thales International Asia (Thint Asia).

The investigation revealed that another company, Terasasi, whose main shareholder was Abdul Razak, received an equivalent sum for what was billed as consultancy work, but which investigators believe was really a front for kickbacks.

Under the French legal system, a suspect is charged if there is "serious" proof of wrongdoing. The case is examined by an investigating magistrate, who has the power to decide either that there is no case to answer, or to send the matter for trial in court.

The person who has been charged will almost certainly be interviewed by the magistrate investigating the case.

The affair emerged spectacularly in 2006, when Abdul Razak's Mongolian mistress -- who was said to have demanded a payoff for working as a language translator in the deal -- was shot dead and her body blown up with plastic explosives near Kuala Lumpur.

He was later cleared of abetting the murder.

sr/tm

THALES

FLOATING STEEL
U.S., Japan, New Zealand begin joint anti-submarine drills
Washington (UPI) Jul 31, 2017
U.S., Japanese and New Zealand maritime reconnaissance and patrol aircraft have arrived at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam to begin the two-week GUAMEX 2017 series of anti-submarine exercises, the U.S. Navy announced on Sunday. Aircraft and subsurface vessels from the three Navies will conduct joint submarine hunting drills to improve their ability to operate together in future conflict ... read more

Related Links
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

FLOATING STEEL
FLOATING STEEL
For Moratorium on Sending Commands to Mars, Blame the Sun

Tributes to wetter times on Mars

Opportunity will spend three weeks at current location due to Solar Conjunction

Curiosity Mars Rover Begins Study of Ridge Destination

FLOATING STEEL
Moon could be wetter than thought, say scientists

How Light Looks Different on the Moon and What NASA Is Doing About It

United Launch Alliance to launch Astrobotic mission to the Moon

Scientists spy new evidence of water in the moon's interior

FLOATING STEEL
New Horizons Video Soars over Pluto's Majestic Mountains and Icy Plains

Juno spots Jupiter's Great Red Spot

New evidence in support of the Planet Nine hypothesis

NASA's New Horizons Team Strikes Gold in Argentina

FLOATING STEEL
A New Search for Extrasolar Planets from the Arecibo Observatory

Gulf of Mexico tube worm is one of the longest-living animals in the world

Molecular Outflow Launched Beyond Disk Around Young Star

Breakthrough Starshot launches tiny spacecraft in quest for Alpha Centauri

FLOATING STEEL
ISRO Develops Ship-Based Antenna System to Track Satellite Launches

India looks to more launches with new facility from 2018

Sea Launch to be modernized for Russia's Soyuz-5 carrier rocket

Navy completes testing fixes on electro-magnetic launch systems

FLOATING STEEL
China develops sea launches to boost space commerce

Chinese satellite Zhongxing-9A enters preset orbit

Chinese Space Program: From Setback, to Manned Flights, to the Moon

Chinese Rocket Fizzles Out, Puts Other Launches on Hold

FLOATING STEEL
Exploring an unusual metal asteroid

Large, Distant Comets More Common Than Previously Thought

Ancient, massive asteroid impact could explain Martian geological mysteries

Pitted Materials in Craters Could Indicate Buried Ice on Asteroids









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.