Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor Anwar Ibrahim wants a probe into the defence ministry's purchase of 18 Sukhoi fighter jets worth RM3.2 billion in light of allegations in a police report involving the local agent appointed to handle the deal.

Integrated Manufacturing Technologies (IMT) Defence Sdn Bhd ex-director Mohd Zainuri Mohd Idrus filed a police report apparently alleging that company chairperson Mohd Adib Adam had siphoned off RM380 million that was paid to the company as commission.

The report was lodged on Sept 30 last year at the Ampang police district headquarters in Selangor, following a legal suit by Mohd Zainuri challenging the company's decision to sack him in 2005.

Mohd Zainuri is said to have alleged that Mohd Adib, who is a former information minister, had secretly registered a new company in Labuan with a name similar to IMT Defence, in order to channel the commission to the new company.

Family of cronies

Anwar, who provided these details in a written statement distributed at a press conference today, said the police report has raised "inevitable questions" on the transparency of the deal.

"Why haven't the police or the Anti-Corruption Agency begun investigations into the allegation?" he said at his residence in Kuala Lumpur's Damansara Heights.

"Why do you need a facilitator when you have the Treasury and the Defence Ministry involved? Why do you need an agent when generals are going back and forth to negotiate the deal?" he said.

"It is clearly, blatantly corruption. It is certainly not transparent, and very unusual."

Anwar said the proceedings show a pattern of questionable agents being appointed by the ministry in procurement deals worth billions of ringgit.

"What is happening here right from the start is that the family of cronies is marking up the commission. The Malaysian public is not aware. It is not only not transparent but clearly corrupt," he said.

"Ultimately we want to know who are the real beneficiaries of these dubious deals. Does it include (based on a tip-off to PKR), close family members of the Minister of Defence (Najib Abdul Razak, also the deputy premier)?"

Attempt to stop him

According to the press statement, Mohd Zainuri had filed a suit and petition in March 2005 against the parent company Mega Heights Sdn Bhd, IMT Defence directors Mohd Adib, his son Ahmad Azam and his sister Askiah and company secretary Loke Foon Keng in relation to the sacking.

He was reported to have claimed at a hearing in June that year that Mohd Adib and Askiah wanted to prevent him from finding out more about the facts of the Sukhoi deal.

Last March, Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Siti Mariah Ahmad rejected separate applications from Mohd Adib and Loke to dismiss the petition.

However, she granted Mohd Adib ( photo ) and Mega Heights Sdn Bhd leave to commence committal proceedings against Mohd Zainuri and his lawyers for leaking the details of the Sukhoi deal.

Last December, the court allowed an application from Mohd Zainuri to strike off Askiah as respondent to the suit. The case is pending.

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