RAZAK BAGINDA BACK TO SQUARE ONE - BUT THIS TIME, JAIL MAY BE INESCAPABLE FOR NAJIB'S 'FALL GUY'

The Centre to Combat Corruption & Cronyism (C4) welcomes the bold and impartial move of the French courts in moving ahead to indict Bernard Baiocco , former President of Thales International Asia (THINT ASIA),  a key French personnel, said to be guilty  of  active bribery of foreign public officials,  into the 2002 Scorpene Submarine acquisition.

Bernard Baiocco was believed to have bribed key Malaysian negotiator and top ally of Prime Minister Najib Razak, Abdul Razak Baginda, through his company Terasasi Sdn Bhd, in which he and his father are directors of the company.  By his own admission, Razak Baginda had admitted to being paid a whooping sum of Euro 30 million or about RM 137 million for consultancy fees, but denied partaking in bribes or corrupt practices.

Given these new developments,

C4 urges for

1. Razak Baginda to come clean on the breakdown of the RM 137 million. What were the actual fees paid for, who paid them and how were the transactions made. How can Malaysians be assured that no bribes were paid out?

2. The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission to reopen the investigation files here, and to inform Malaysians of why no headway was made locally. Were there blocks and obstruction to the investigations? If the French courts have taken the bold step in indicting a key French personnel, surely the Malaysian institutions (the police, and the MACC) must now step forward and reopen the case. Malaysia as a signatory of the UN ANTI CORUPTION CONVENTION (UNCAC), is obliged to honour their commitment - which obligates member states to provide the fullest cooperation for all cross-border corruption cases.

3. We ask the Attorney General, to clarify if Mutual legal Assistance was granted in the Scorpene Submarine probe. Malaysia cannot vitiate its responsibilities in this matter, and must commit to cooperate to find answers to these corruption scandals, and have courage to nab corrupt offenders no matter how powerful.

This is one scandal too many – it is imperative for Malaysia’s institutions to now stand up and uphold the rule of law, and redeem lost trust .

Cynthia Gabriel

Executive Director