Probe Eurocopter deal, ACA told

A group of Pakatan Youth leaders today lodged a report at the Anti-Corruption Agency in Putrajaya, urging it to open investigations into the Eurocopter deal.

In their report, they specifically asked the agency to probe the alleged involvement of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in the deal.

The report was lodged by Shamsul Iskandar (PKR Youth), Sapky Yusof (PAS Youth) and Anthony Loke (DAP Youth). The trio were accompanied by several supporters.

"This report is a follow up to the police report lodged by Pakatan youth leaders led by PKR youth wing deputy chief Fariz Musa on October 20," Shamsul told a press conference outside the ACA office.

"(The Eurocopter scandal) is embezzlement of public money at the most grievous level in light of the current uncertainties the global economy imparts. We want the ACA to initiate a thorough investigation into the matter."

The Eurocopter controversy was first highlighted in a letter dated Oct 7 addressed to Najib, who is deputy prime minister and finance minister.

In the five-page letter, Mentari Services Sdn Bhd chairperson Capt (rtd) Zahar Hashim suggested that the tender process, initiated during Najib's tenure, could have been a "gimmick" since the ministry appeared to favour one company.

Zahar also accused Najib of providing Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who took over the defence portfolio on Sept 17, with an "inaccurate" report pertaining to the contract.

He said the government could have purchased the same number of helicopters from Kelowna, the firm that he himself represents, and save almost RM1.5 billion.

Shamsul said he highlighted a few key points that require serious investigations by the ACA, among them the government’s decision to pay for the helicopters at a price exorbitantly higher than the market price.

"The ACA must also investigate claims by Zahar that the Letter of Intent, used to approve a transaction as significant as this, was signed by a mid-ranking official," Shamsul added.

According to the PKR youth chief, the complaint today was submitted to an officer by the name of Ikzani who assured him that ACA investigation director Shukri Abdul would personally handle the matter.

On Tuesday, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang told Parliament that the RM2.3 billion military helicopter deal with Franco-German company Eurocopter should be suspended until a bipartisan parliamentary committee has probed the purchase.

Najib has undertaken to explain the deal in due course, but denies any wrongdoing in the transaction.

Commenting on this, Shamsul stressed on the fact that the amount involved in the scandal, if channeled elsewhere like eradicating poverty, could elevate the status of 48,000 Malaysians living under the country’s hardcore poverty rate.

"We urge Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who pledged to battle corruption before he quits (in March), to fulfil his pledge by initiating a thorough investigation on this matter," said Shamsul.