Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on February 13, 2019

PETALING JAYA: The name of Mongolian interpreter Altantuya Shaariibuu, who was murdered in 2006, appeared “a number of times” in an aftersales service contract of the Malaysian government’s procurement of the French Scorpene submarine.

Apoline Cagnat, a lawyer who is assisting in filing a corruption complaint in French court for human rights group Suaram, said this indicated that Altantuya was probably involved in the negotiations of the submarine deal.

“We know she came [to France]. We understand that she had a part in translating things in the Scorpene discussions. Her role in the discussions needs to be clarified, but her name does come up,” she said.

Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) executive director Cynthia Gabriel explained that the Scorpene deal involves two contracts, one of the sale of the submarine and the other for aftersales services.

“Her name does appear a number of times in the French prosecutor’s investigation for the second contract.

“Her role might have been in the aftersales service contract, but that needs further investigation. The French are actually not very keen on pursuing Altantuya’s track, but more on the money trail,” she said.

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