Rafizi promises to expose companies used to launder LCS money

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PETALING JAYA: PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli says he will expose the scandal involving the misappropriation of funds in the RM6 billion littoral combat ship (LCS) project within a month.

Taking to Facebook, Rafizi said he would reveal all the irregularities in the project, including the establishment of shell companies to launder money.

“I will expose all the irregularities, one by one,” he said.

Rafizi was responding to a post by former prime minister Najib Razak, who claimed that Pakatan Harapan had halted the project after coming to power in 2018, effectively delaying the construction of the ships.

The project has come under much scrutiny after the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Parliament’s watchdog, recently said not a single ship had been completed despite the government spending RM6 billion since 2011.

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LCS scandal: don’t dodge your responsibility, Chin Tong warns Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR – Former defence minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi must not avoid blame for the multi-billion-ringgit littoral combat ships (LCS) scandal, Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong said.

In a Facebook post, Liew said that Zahid had overseen the decision to change the design of the ships and must thus not overlook his responsibility.

“Zahid is responsible for the funds misappropriated and the LCS project failure,” Liew said.

“The LCS project was approved by Zahid as defence minister in 2011. Zahid also made the decision to change the Sigma design of the ship to the Gowind design before consulting and seeking advice from the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).”

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Najib can’t wash hands of LCS scandal, says Rafizi

PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Najib Razak cannot “wash his hands” of the littoral combat ship (LCS) scandal, says PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli.

Rafizi said this is because Najib, who was in office when the government signed the deal for the LCS project with Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS) in 2011, was the only person with the power to influence a change in the ship’s design from the navy’s requirements.

In a statement, Rafizi also claimed Najib had previous dealings with DCNS, having used its services for other national “mega” projects.

DCNS, now known as the Naval Group, is a sub-contractor for the LCS project. The same company also sold Malaysia two Scorpene-class submarines in 2002.

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Probe Najib, Zahid and Hishammuddin, says DAP Youth

PETALING JAYA: DAP’s Youth wing has called for an investigation into former prime minister Najib Razak, former defence minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and current defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein over the delay in a navy warship project.

At the same time, DAP Youth said a string of police reports would be made against those involved in the RM9 billion littoral combat ship (LCS) project. Youth wing leader Dr Kelvin Yii urged the public to do the same.

Saying “heads must indeed roll” for the procurement fiasco, he said high-ranking ministers who had direct and indirect decision-making power in the project should face investigation.

The project calls for the construction of six frigates in the LCS programme. The first in the class, KD Maharaja Lela, was launched in 2017. However, none of the six ships, scheduled for delivery between 2019 and this year, have been delivered.

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Don’t allow opposition to slander BN over LCS, says Tok Mat

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy chairman Mohamad Hasan has called on his coalition to defend itself against “slander” hurled by the opposition pertaining to the littoral combat ship (LCS) project.

He said the coalition must counter any allegations levelled against it or any of its component parties by informing the public on the facts of the case.

“We mustn’t allow the opposition to spin the narrative out of control when it has nothing to do with BN or Umno,” he said during a speech at the BN Wanita convention at the World Trade Centre (WTCKL) here.

“This is a coordinated attack against us by the opposition.”

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Top-10 Questions For Najib To Prove He Was Not Involved In RM6 Billion LCS Warship Scandal

Najib Razak, the disgraced son of Malaysia’s second Prime Minister Abdul Razak, has started to panic over the scandal involving LCS (Littoral Combat Ship). After close to 10 years since the project took off, none of the six warships, worth a staggering RM9 billion, has been delivered. Worse, despite having paid RM6 billion, not a single vessel has been fully built.

The former prime minister is squirming as the explosive scandal comes at a time when his “Judgement Day” is around the corner. His final appeal to stay out of prison will start next Monday (Aug 15) when Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat – the first woman Chief Justice – will lead a panel of five judges to preside over Najib’s appeal in the Federal Court.

 
Naturally, Mr Najib has gone bonkers and started blaming everyone and everything under the sun, especially the Opposition, for the dubious project. As usual, it’s never his fault, but other people’s fault even though the RM6 billion (which ballooned spectacularly to RM9 billion some 11 months later) project was approved and paid under his administration.

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LCS scandal: CED makes RM178 mil claim to govt on day it got appointed: Rafizi

KUALA LUMPUR – A company that was appointed as a subcontractor to implement two supply and manufacturing packages for the littoral combat ship (LCS) project allegedly made a RM178 million claim to the government the same day the contract was awarded. 

This is according to PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli, who cited a finding from an internal investigation conducted on the controversial project. 

“The probe showed that a second layer contractor – Contraves Electrodynamics Sdn Bhd (CED) – had made a claim amounting to RM178 million as a mobilisation fee, on the same day it was appointed, despite the company being set up just 45 days prior,” he said in a statement today. 

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Rafizi to expose tomorrow ‘fake firms’ that siphoned LCS funds

PETALING JAYA: Rafizi Ramli says he will disclose tomorrow the names of the fake companies allegedly established to siphon money from the littoral combat ship (LCS) project.

“The (companies’) modus operandi is similar to that of 1MDB,” he said, referring to the corruption scandal surrounding the state investment arm.

“The name looks the same, but it is a different company,” he said in a tweet.

On Aug 8, Rafizi claimed he was in possession of leaked documents that gave the impression that a deal for the littoral combat ships was “pre-determined” even before the government signed the agreement with Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS).

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Hisham should explain discrepancy in funding for LCS, says Kit Siang

PETALING JAYA: Defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein should explain why he has reduced the number of littoral combat ships (LCS) to be completed with no additional government funds from two to one, says DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang.

Hishammuddin said yesterday the ongoing construction of the first LCS (LCS 1), which was to have been delivered to the navy in 2019, will not involve new allocations from the government.

However, Lim noted that when Hishammuddin appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Jan 25, he said Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS) would have to deliver two LCS without any additional cost to the government.

“Hishammuddin should explain why the defence ministry has reduced from two LCS to one LCS which must be completed and delivered by the contractor with no additional government funds,” he said in a statement.

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