KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission will record statements from four people including a company owner as part of its probe into the purchase of a Scorpene submarine from a French company.
A source who spoke to Berita Harian, said the statements from the four people are needed to shed light on several matters after new leads in the case were discovered.
"MACC's probe will seek to determine if there was any abuse of power or criminal breach of trust in the purchase of the submarine," said the source.
The investigation will focus on the embezzlement of RM42 million, which was part of the RM530 million paid under the contract for support services related to the submarine purchase.
The RM42 million is believed to have been redirected to companies owned by the relatives of the company involved.
In April, MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said that the investigations into 2002's purchase of the Scorpene submarine are still ongoing.
The purchase of the submarine sparked controversy in 2010 and was also linked to a former prime minister.
In 2002, the former prime minister, who was then the defence minister, oversaw the purchase of two Scorpene-type submarines and one Agosta-type submarine from the French naval shipyard unit DCN (now part of Thales) worth nearly STG1 billion (USD$1.17 billion).