LCS scandal: MACC to decide on calling Zahid after meeting Raja Petra

MACC will decide whether to call former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for questioning over the littoral combat ships (LCS) contract scandal after meeting blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin.

MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki (above) said this when contacted today over the blogger's allegation that Zahid had received kickbacks amounting to RM66 million from the project's contractor.

He said MACC has been in contact with Raja Petra and they plan to meet the blogger within one week's time.

"Regarding the issue raised by blogger Raja Petra, we will be meeting him soon. Within one week. He said he has information on the issue, so we want to see the information he has," Azam told Malaysiakini.

"Whether MACC will call Zahid for statement recording, depends on what we get (from Raja Petra). We will have to examine (the documents) first," the anti-graft agency chief added.

The MACC team will meet Raja Petra, who is believed to be based in England, at a location overseas agreed upon by both parties.

Azam said the location and time have yet to be confirmed, but it won't be necessarily in the UK.

According to him, the probe will be part of the MACC investigation on LCS that is already ongoing.

The commission had been investigating the scandal under Section 17 of the MACC Act for graft and Section 405 of the Penal Code for criminal breach of trust.

Allegation of money paid in stages

Two days ago, Raja Petra published a video on his blog Malaysia-Today where he claimed to have in possession a set of evidence that allegedly shows some SG$20 million were paid in stages to Zahid between mid-2012 and mid-2013.

The Umno president was the defence minister from April 2009 to May 2013.

The blogger alleged that the kickbacks had been paid through a money changer in Singapore, who transferred the money to a money changer in Malaysia. The money had also gone through several layers before reaching Zahid's hands, he claimed.

Malaysiakini has reached Zahid for his comments on the allegation.

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