KUALA LUMPUR: Investigations into the controversial US$1.1 billion Scorpene submarine deal are “going well,” with judicial authorities in both Malaysia and France handling the matter, said French Ambassador to Malaysia Frédéric Laplanche.
“Cooperation between France and Malaysia (on the investigation) is very good.
“(Both parties) have been in contact with the new Malaysian Attorney-General on all issues related to (the deal), and I sense a strong willingness to cooperate on both sides,” he added.
However, Laplanche declined to comment further on the matter, as the probe falls under the remit of the French judiciary, which is an entirely independent body in the country.
Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu was reported as saying last month that the Cabinet will discuss setting up a task force to investigate alleged corruption in the purchase of two French submarines which were manufactured in 2002.
Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who was then Defence Minister, oversaw the purchase of two Scorpene-class submarines and one Agosta-class submarine from the French naval dockyard unit DCN, for nearly €1 billion (US$1.17 billion). — BERNAMA
Get the latest World Cup 2018 scores, highlights and updates from our dedicated World Cup page