The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) has started an investigation into the suspended RM1.6 billion Eurocopter deal.

According to English-daily the Star, ACA director-general Ahmad Said Hamdan said the agency has taken several related documents to assist in the investigation into the controversy.

The probe, which will be headed by the agency’s investigations director Shukri Abdul, is currently focusing on several documents from the defence ministry on the purchase of the helicopters.

"We have already opened a file on this. We have taken several documents on the purchase of the helicopters from the ministry and are currently looking at them," he told the Star in Seremban.

helicopter military eurocopter cougor ec 725 troop transporter"We want to see if there were any irregularities. We can't tell for sure if there was an element of corruption involved in the deal, so we have to investigate," he said.

He was asked to comment on a police report lodged by Parti Keadilan Rakyat deputy youth chief Fariz Musa against Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on alleged abuse of power in the purchase of the helicopters.

Following the police report, a group of Pakatan Youth leaders also lodged a report at the ACA headquarters in Putrajaya last week urging it to investigate the deal.

In their report, they specifically asked the agency to probe the alleged involvement of the deputy premier.

Ahmad, however, did not divulge if Najib would be called to assist in the investigations.

The Eurocopter deal has been under heavy scrutiny after Deputy Defence Minister Abu Seman Yusop revealed in Parliament that the multi-billion ringgit military helicopters did not undergo any physical inspection prior to the purchase.

Let PAC probe too

According to Ahmad, the ACA’s investigation will not get in the way of an inquiry by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) into the matter. Its probe will begin next Monday.

"Let them (PAC) investigate this first. We will do so (the investigation) in stages," Ahmad said.

The purchase of the 12 Cougar EC725 helicopters has, however, been suspended in the wake of the global economic crisis.

In another development, Ahmad said the ACA has received reports of alleged money politics in the on-going Umno divisional elections, adding that the agency will investigate the reports.

"These are serious allegations. It can be in Umno or any other political party, we will surely investigate these reports," he said.