Terasasi Hong Kong Ltd. was funnelling money to Najib as "commissions" for submarines sale...

A highly-classified document - the Royal Malaysian Navy's evaluation of the Scorpene-class submarines to be purchased by the government - were allegedly "bought" by a French defence company.

French lawyer Joseph Breham, who is acting on behalf of human rights NGO Suaram, revealed that the company paid 36 million euro (RM142 million) to Terasasi (Hong Kong) Ltd, ostensibly for "commercial engineering" works.
 
Breham (right) said French investigative judges probing the case lodged by Suaram against Paris-owned shipmaker DCNS for alleged corruption inquired what those payments were for and demanded reports of financial transactions from the company.

"They (the inquiry judges) were given information that is already available in the Internet and newspapers, except for this one document," Breham told a press conference in Bangkok yesterday.

"It was a secret document by the Malaysian Navy - an evaluation for the order of the submarines, which is a highly confidential report," he told journalists at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand.

Breham, who based his expose on the French prosecution papers, said the act of "selling" top secret papers to a foreign country such as this is considered treason.

In France, he stressed, it would be absolutely illegal to sell such reports as it could either be considered a breach of defence secrets or high treason.

"It's treason because you are selling to a competitor or a foreign country what you think about a specific weapon, and your plan on how to use this specific weapon," replied Breham, when asked by a journalist if it was legal for an individual to sell such reports.

"In France, if you release them (secret documents), you can be punished with up to 10 years in jail," said Breham, who is with Sherpa, a non-profit legal and human rights NGO based in Paris, which is representing Suaram in the legal action.

Najib can be arrested by Interpol

Hong Kong-based Terasasi had been accused of funnelling money through its accounts to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak as "commissions" for the sale of the submarines.
 
The submarines were purchased from the French company Thales International, also known as Thint Asia, in a deal inked in 2002 when Najib was deputy prime minister and defence minister.

Thales is an off-shoot of French defence giant DCN, which later changed its name to DCNS, a company facing legal charges filed by Suaram in 2010. The case recently opened for hearing in the French court.

Two Terasasi directors are Najib's close ally Abdul Razak Baginda and his father Abdul Malim Baginda.

In 2006, Razak, together with two of Najib's former bodyguards were charged with the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, but the political analyst was acquitted without his defence being called.

Najib (left), who has refused to comment on the matter, has also denied ever being involved in the scandal, but Breham has reiterated that the PM cannot avoid testifying in a French court if he is either subpoenaed or issued with a warrant of arrest by Interpol.

Breham said it was possible that Thales decided to pay the money to obtain the classified documents so that it could better its bid for the project, and this meant "paying someone to commit an offence".

The other possibility, he added, is that the French company had paid the commission to channel money to ruling party Umno or to high-ranking individuals in Malaysia, as already revealed in French prosecution papers.

Breham said that this "demonstrated beyond a shadow of doubt" that the French counterparts knew the money was illegal and should not be paid, and that it would go to top Malaysian officials.

He added that the money, whether legal or illegal, was paid to individuals "for no forseeable reasons" when it could have been put to better use.

"To put it blunt and clearly - if the money had not been paid to high-ranking officials, it could have been used to allow Malaysians to pay less taxes for the same services or to have much more services for the same amount of taxes," suggested Breham.

"The Malaysian taxpayers are the first casualties in this case," he added.

Selling nation's secrets a crime 


Meanwhile, Subang parliamentarian R Sivarasa, who was at the Bangkok press conference, said the expose on the top secret document being sold to a foreign country could land a person in jail.

Sivarasa (right), who is also a lawyer, said anyone familiar with the Malaysian legal system knows that the country has the toughest official secrets legislation.

In terms of the broad scope of the law, he added, the breach of any official secret document or publication is punishable with a mandatory jail sentence.

"These documents - as mentioned by Breham - fall into the highest category of official secret documents as it has implications for the security of the country," said the PKR leader.

"Without any question, it is a criminal offence (to sell the documents to a foreign company). There have been people who went to jail for revealing far less innocous documents," he added.

Sivarasa was in Bangkok together with Suaram director Cynthia Gabriel, lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fikri and Breham to reveal 'damning details' surrounding the alleged Scorpene scandal.

The press conference was held in Bangkok as Breham was unable to get a proper visa to enter Malaysia.

His law partner, William Bourdon, was deported from Malaysia after he attended a fundraising dinner in Penang last year.

The Bangkok event, attended by foreign journalists and Malaysian embassy officials (left) - who left immediately after the function - was hosted by regional human rights NGO Forum-Asia.- malaysiakini

'Razak Baginda's company sold top secret for RM142 mil'

Razak Baginda’s firm sold Malaysian naval secrets to French, says lawyer

Rahsia dokumen sulit Tentera Laut Malaysia dijual dengan harga RM142 juta...

  
Suatu dokumen yang sangat sulit - penilaian Tentera Laut Malaysia terhadap kapal selam kelas Scorpene yang akan dibeli oleh kerajaan - didakwa telah "dibeli" oleh sebuah syarikat pertahanan Perancis.

Peguam Perancis, Joseph Breham(kiri), yang mewakili NGO hak asasi manusia, Suaram, mendakwa syarikat berkenaan didakwa membayar 36 juta euro (RM142 juta) kepada Terasasi (Hong Kong) Ltd, kononnya untuk kerja-kerja "kejuruteraan komersial".

Breham berkata hakim siasatan Perancis yang menyiasat kes yang difailkan oleh Suaram terhadap syarikat pembuat kapal Perancis, DCNS, atas dakwaan rasuah, mahu tahu tujuan bayaran tersebut dan meminta laporan transaksi kewangan daripada syarikat berkenaan.

"Mereka (para hakim siasatan) telah diberi maklumat yang sudah sedia ada dalam Internet dan akhbar, kecuali dokumen yang ini," dakwa Breham dalam satu sidang akhbar di Bangkok semalam.

"Ia adalah dokumen rahsia oleh Tentera Laut Malaysia - satu penilaian untuk tempahan kapal selam berkenaan, yang merupakan laporan yang sangat sulit," katanya kepada wartawan di Kelab Wartawan Asing Thailand.

Brehem membuat dakwaan tersebut berdasarkan kepada kertas pendakwaan Perancis.- malaysiakini

Komen di sana sini...

Magoomba - How on earth can Navy Confidential Docs be in the hands of a $2 HK Co in the first place? Air Force jet engines in Argentina. Can we hear more!!!
 

Truly Patriotic - Now that there is an allegation that a nation's top secret (military) docs have been sold, can't wait to see how speedy those relevant authorities - MINDEF, PDRM, MACC, etc, etc - would jump into action?
 

Freemsia - UMNO Govt refuse to reveal the details of the transaction on the acquisition on arms to the public on the pre-text that it will jeopardise national security. And now, we have govt-linke Terasasi selling secret documents from Msian Navy to a French defense company. 

NX After - RPK's exposure on Azmin, the idots in MACC wanted to take action and the govt machinery started to roll to attack Anwar and Azmin. NOW with this allegation can the same goons spring into action. I guess not because this people are the traitors to the malay race and to the nation. Mampus Umno untuk menyelamatkan negara.

Anonymous_3f4a - How did a Hong Kong company obtain such highly classified documents of the Malaysian Navy without any insiders' help? No wonder, even jet engines can be illegally removed from Sg Besi air base, escaped the detection of the customs and ports authorities before making its way to third countries. What sorts of security apparatus do we have in our country? It's frighteningly horror to be given such a glimpse of the intimate workings of the high offices of the Malaysian govt.

Koboi Kucing - Semakin demamlah Ha Njib agaknya. Syukurlah kalau Ha Najib ini boleh dimsukkan ke dalam lokap, sekurang-kuranya dia dpt berkongsi perasaan dengan banduan ISA bagaimana rasanya hidup dalam lokap.

Sulaiman Mohd Daud - Salam. Amat malanglah rakyat Malaysia jika benarlah dokumen rahsia pun boleh dibeli! Lagi memalukan dan malang bila PM sekarang yang juga mantan Menteri Pertahanan sehingga kini tak sanggup membersihkan dirinya dimahkamah bebas / melalui proses perundangan. Kami sebagai rakyat inginkan ketelusan dan kejujuran berhubuing dengan isu tersebut.

Terasi(Hong Kong) Ltd, firma milik Razak Baginda dikatakan menjual maklumat sulit Tentera Laut Malaysia kepada sebuah syarikat Pertahanan Perancis dengan harga RM 142 juta. Razak Baginda pula adalah pegawai khas Najib dan Najib pula ada Menteri Pertahanan ketika itu.

Kalau kita campur,tolak,darab dan bahagi...kita boleh agak siapa sebenarnya yang menjual dokumen sulit tersebut... Your guess is as good as mine...

cheers.