DR Abdul Latiff Ahmad should file legal action against those who have claimed that he is linked to suspicious transactions involving the littoral combat ship (LCS) project, Rafizi Ramli said today.

The PKR deputy president was responding to Latiff’s denial that the woman named in the LCS forensic audit report was not his wife as reported.

“Latiff’s denial was merely made on social media. He did not dispute the facts that have been shared with the public so far,” Rafizi said in a statement.

“If Latiff has nothing to do with Zainab Mohd Salleh and he (or his family) is not involved with the LCS project contracts or the navy, he needs to immediately take legal action against Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC) (the owner of the LCS Ship Forensic Report), Alliance IFA (M) Sdn Bhd (the auditor appointed by BHIC to investigate the LCS ship project) and me (who disclosed this).”

Earlier this week, Rafizi said government investigations had revealed that an offshore company involved in the embezzlement of more than RM233 million had links with the wife of Latiff, a minister in the Ismail Sabri Yaakob administration.

Rafizi said Zainab is Latiff’s second wife and that Latiff was the Mersing MP when the alleged scandal took place prior to his defection from Umno to Bersatu after the 2018 general election.

He said Zainab Mohd Salleh was a shareholder in Alizes Marine Limited, one of two offshore companies set up to embezzle LCS project funds.

Latiff was the deputy to defence minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi from 2008 to 2013.

Rafizi said that an internal investigation into the LCS acquisition and his own follow-up review showed that two sham companies were registered in the name of Alizes Marine.

He said Alizes Marine Limited was registered in Malta and Alizes Marine Labuan was registered in Labuan.

He added that both firms had offshore status.

The existence of Alizes Marine Limited only became known after the offshore company’s database was leaked by whistleblowers in what was known as the Panama and the Paradise Papers.

Latiff has denied that Zainab is his wife.

“Since Latiff has denied this on Facebook, it means that he is accusing the auditor appointed by BHIC, which is Alliance IFA (M) Sdn Bhd, of cheating, when the auditor’s report named Zainab as his wife and showed the complicity of Latiff in the LCS project contracts.

“His denial is also equivalent to accusing the Malaysian Companies Commission of cheating, while the records show Latiff has a relationship with Zainab through co-ownership of Mega P Asia Sdn. Bhd.”

If this legal action is not taken soon, Rafizi said the people will punish Bersatu at the polls for protecting those involved in the scandal.

The PAC recently released its report on a government deal to purchase six littoral combat ships for RM9 billion.

The PAC found that the contract was awarded to BNS via direct negotiations and that the government had already paid the contractor RM6.08 billion but had yet to receive even one ship.

According to the original schedule, five ships should have been delivered by this month.

The project commended under the Najib Razak administration and when Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was defence minister.  – August 26, 2022.