No officials or representatives from Malaysia’s Defence Ministry will fly to Paris to attend a court trial related to the Scorpene submarines, said Defence Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“Who will pay for the air tickets, food and hotel accommodation in France?” he said when asked by reporters after witnessing the signing of an agreement between Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT) and Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIA) to construct a Mahallah-based perpetual endowment property in Kuala Lumpur today.
He said the case would be closely monitored by the Malaysian ambassador and military attache in Paris.
Zahid said he would not allow his ministry to fall into the trap set by those who wanted to tarnish the image and reputation of the country and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
“We are not bound to follow the French court order, unless the subpoena came from the Malaysian court of justice,” he said.
The trial in Paris was initiated by Suaram, an anti-government NGO which claims that the submarines purchased were plaqued by scandals and bribery.
At the signing, LTAT was represented by its chairperson Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor and UIA by its rector, Prof Zaleha Kamaruddin.
The agreement between both parties was for the construction of one block of self-catering hostel, later to be known as Mahallah LTAT.
No comments:
Post a Comment