SOCIAL activists and opposition politicians want the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to reopen the case of Malaysia’s purchase of Scorpene submarines in 2002 after French authorities’ indicted two executives for allegedly receiving kickbacks over the sale.

Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) executive director Cynthia Gabriel said it was crucial that MACC reopen the case.

“The Attorney-General has disallowed mutual legal assistance with the French authorities in the case thus far.

“He (Attorney-General) must cooperate with the French prosecution team to connect the dots and bring to book the criminals involved in the case,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

French investigators have indicted two former top executives in a long-running probe into alleged kickbacks from the 2002 sale of submarines to Malaysia, sources close to the inquiry told AFP yesterday.

The two are Philippe Japiot, former chairman of the French naval dockyards unit DCNI, and Jean-Paul Perrier, former chief executive of French defence and electronics giant Thales.

The two have both been indicted for corruption.

Gabriel said Malaysia was obligated under the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to cooperate with the French authorities.

She said Abdul Razak Baginda, a former close associate of Prime Minister Najib Razak linked to the case.

“We urge him to cooperate with the French and Malaysian authorities. We understand the French have been working to focus on him and diligently investigating his role as a key conduit for the recipient of funds,” she said.

The French investigation was launched in 2010 in response to a complaint from Malaysian rights group Suaram.

The case centres on allegations that the French submarine maker paid commission of more than €114 million (RM570 million) to a purported shell company linked to Razak.

Najib was defence minister when the US$1.1 billion (RM4.5 billion) deal for two Scorpene-class submarines was sealed.

Deputy PKR Youth chief Afif Bahardin is also urging the MACC and the police to reopen the case, citing elements of corruption in the sale of the submarines.

Afif said an investigation needed to be conducted and those involved brought to justice for the sake of Altantunya Shaariibuu, Razak’s Mongolian mistress who was murdered.

“MACC and the police’s failure to investigate and take appropriate legal action regarding the Scorpene submarine scandal will affect the image and integrity of these agencies and cause the people to lose their trust in them,” he said.

DAP leader and Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang also asked why the government was not setting up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the corruption allegations surrounding the deal.

“Is this because Najib, who was Defence Minister at the time, will be the subject of the investigation? Is Najib prepared to subject himself to full corruption investigations into the Scorpene deal?

“Is Najib prepared to present a White Paper to MPs next Monday when Parliament reconvenes, followed with a wide-ranging debate on the alleged corruption in connection to the submarine sales to Malaysia?” Lim said.

The Malaysian government has said that the contract was free of corruption.

In 2006, Altantuya, who was said to have demanded a payoff for working as a language translator in the deal, was shot dead and the body blown up with plastic explosives near Kuala Lumpur.

A Malaysian court later cleared Razak of abetting the murder. – July 19, 2017.