Anwar Ibrahim |
- Malaysia Sub Scandal Spreads to Malta
- Maltese Company Implicated in French Anti-Corruption Sting
- Maltese Company Named in Submarines Scandal
| Malaysia Sub Scandal Spreads to Malta Posted: 06 Jun 2012 07:17 PM PDT Maltese opposition MP alleges French company may have laundered some of the money Malaysia's long-running submarine scandal appears to have widened all the way to the Mediterranean island of Malta, with an opposition Member of Parliament alleging that a French-owned, Malta-based financial consultancy is being investigated for its role in the controversial US$1 billion purchase of the boats by the Malaysian government. According to the Malta-based news portal Malta Today, MP Evarist Bartolo told the Maltese parliament that the French-owned financial consultancy Gifen is being investigated by French officials over allegations that part of a €114 million commission paid to Perimekar Sdn Bhd, then wholly owned by Abdul Razak Baginda, a close associate of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, may have been laundered through Malta. The Perimekar commission has been criticized as a subterfuge to steer kickbacks to political figures. Other news reports from Malta alleged that Gifen was established by Jean-Marie Bouvin, who has been also heavily involved in other sales by the French state-owned company DCN of submarines to Pakistan and frigates to Taiwan. Both of those transactions have been dogged by a flock of spectacular murders. French prosecutors were said to have discovered Gifen after they scrutinized a vast trove of documents and internal confidential reports of DCN and the French Ministry of Defense as well as interviewing DCNS officials and related companies such as Thales as well as officials in the French ministry of defense. Other companies allegedly used for similar purposes, Bartolo said, were Eurolux, based in Luxembourg, and Technomar, based in Belgium. Bartolo further alleged that Gifen, which was founded in 2001 by Bouvin, was well-connected with the French secret services, and had close ties both with former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. After France signed the UN Convention Against Corruption, Bouvin allegedly began to operate though different channels – setting up companies in Ireland, Switzerland, Mauritius, the Isle of Man and Malta, Malta Today reported. Sarkozy has been mentioned in connection with bribes promised to Pakistani generals for the purchase of SSK Scorpene submarines from Armaris, now a unit of the French defense giant DCNS. Eleven French technicians were blown up with a car bomb that was first blamed on Al Qaeda. However, subsequent stories in France about the scandal, called "L'Affaire Karachi," alleged that Pakistani generals blew up the van in retaliation for the cancellation by then-President Jacques Chirac of kickbacks promised in the sale of the vessels.. Sarkozy has angrily denied any involvement in the kickback scheme. However, now that he has lost the French presidency to Francois Hollande, investigators may be taking another look at his activities. Bartolo, the former Education Minister, said French inquiring magistrates have now ordered the police to initiate an international investigation into the companies based in France, Luxembourg and Hong Kong – including Gifen in Malta – as part of a global anti-corruption sting. The Malaysian Ministry of Defense purchased the two SSK Scorpene submarines in 2002 from Armaris. At that point, Najib Tun Razak was defense minister and engineered the purchase. French lawyers William Bourdon and Joseph Breham of the public service law firm Avocats a la Cour were successful in opening the DCNS books on behalf of the Malaysian human rights NGO Suaram earlier this year. In an email, Breham said he was aware of Gifen as a company but wasn't sure if it is part of the probe he has been following. In any case, a stream of revelations of bribes and kickbacks has flowed across the world. So far, however, they have done little damage to Najib's popularity as he maneuvers his national ruling coalition into position for what are expected to be national elections sometime this fall. Among those allegations, according to Breham, is that Terasasi Sdn Bhd., which is owned by Razak Baginda, was paid €39 million euros for confidential documents on the ministry of defense's specification for the submarine purchase. As Asia Sentinel has reported, the money appears to have been steered through Terasasi Hong Kong Ltd., which was established later. According to Malta Today, Bartolo revealed that several companies worldwide currently investigated by French authorities in connection with this case and that Gifen’s most active years were between 2001 and 2004, with an income of almost €1.5 million, while its registered expenses took the form of ‘consultancy services’ and ‘travelling expenses." Bartolo was also quoted as adding that French investigators are currently looking into whether Gifen was used “to facilitate the movement of money involved in this contract,” as well as to pay for travelling expenses for the Malaysians. According to the Opposition MP, Bouvin would pay commissions through a company called Heine in order to secure successful bids for public contracts. Bartolo added that responsibility to regulate such operations in Malta fell to the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit and the Malta Financial Services Authority, and that the reputation of Malta as a center for financial services was at stake. He reminded the House of a report by the Council of Europe’s Committee on Money Laundering, which had observed that Malta’s legislation is good, but enforcement is lacking. |
| Maltese Company Implicated in French Anti-Corruption Sting Posted: 06 Jun 2012 12:44 PM PDT Opposition MP Evarist Bartolo highlights details of ongoing international criminal investigation into a complex web of murder, intrigue and scandal in which a Maltese company is understood to be involved. Yesterday’s Parliamentary discussion took an unexpected turn, when Opposition MP Evarist Bartolo used his adjournment speech to highlight details of an ongoing international criminal investigation into a complex web of murder, intrigue and scandal in which a Maltese company is understood to be involved. According to the investigation cited by Bartolo in parliament yesterday, a French-owned, Malta-based financial consultancy services called ‘Gifen’ is involved in a money-laundering operation which is in turn connected to: a €1 billion contract for the purchase of military submarines from France by the Malaysian government in 2002; allegations of a €114 million ‘commission’ that changed hands during negotiations between French and Malaysian officials; and – most sinister of all – the kidnapping and violent murder of a Mongolian modelling student in Malaysia in 2006. In parliament yesterday, Bartolo revealed how this complex bribery/murder scenario, that has caused scandal in both Malaysia and France over the past decade, has now also managed to finds its way here to Malta: with a Maltese company currently being investigated by French officials over allegations of laundering part of the money involved in this transaction.. The former Education Minister revealed how French inquiring magistrates have now ordered the police to initiate an international investigation into a number of companies based in France, Luxembourg and Hong Kong – including one in Malta – as part of a global anti-corruption sting. The story opens in June 2002, when, after three years of negotiations, the Malaysian government concluded a €1 billion deal with French company Armaris (now DCNS) and Spanish naval shipbuilder Izar (now Navantia) for the purchase of 2 SSK Scorpene submarines, as well as associated support and training. The contract was signed by Malyasia’s minister of defense (now prime minister) Najib Razak, and allegations quickly followed that DCSN had previously been sold confidential information relating to their bid by Malaysian companies understood to be close to Razak. One company named in the initial rumours was Perimekar, owned by Razak’s close associate, the prominent Malaysian businessman Abdul Razak Baginda. But it was with the 2006 murder of 28-year-old Mongolian modelling student Altantuya Shaaribuu that suspicions of high-level corruption started to gain ground in earnest. In March 2009, French Journalist Arnaud Dubus published a report in France’s Liberation, citing hundreds of confidential documents, which suggested a connection between the mysterious murder of the student-model, and a ‘commission’ of around €114 million paid to Perimekar in connection with the Scorpene submarine deal. The motive for Altantuya’s death was reportedly that she had claimed a €500,000 share of the “commission” paid to Baginda (who appears to have also been her lover) for the purchase of the submarines… and then threatened to reveal all that she knew about this case if her demand was not met. According to documents made public by French newspaper ‘Liberation’, Altantuya had been murdered on the orders of Abdul Razak Baginda, who was later acquitted on all charges by a Malaysian court. However, Prime Minister Razak himself has now been implicated in the associated bribery deal, and Dubus’ report includes details of text messages he had reportedly sent Baginda, which in turn strongly imply a cover-up and interference with police investigations. The kidnapping itself was carried out in broad daylight in front of Baginda’s house in the presence of eye-witnesses. And in a detail that could easily have emerged from a James Bond movie, the perpetrators were later identified only because the taxi-driver who had been hired by Altantuya for the day, reported the kidnapper’s car licence plate to the police… officially as part of a complaint that he had not been paid for his services. Police investigations traced the vehicle to Malaysian Special Branch police, causing embarrassment to the government, and awakening curiosity among the local press. But while the Malaysia investigations have apparently stalled, French investigators soon took an interest in a case which appears (if allegations are true) to also point fingers at one of France’s top names in the shipbuilding industry. French investigating magistrates are now looking into a Hong Kong-based company called Terasasi (Hong Kong) Ltd. Abdul Razak Baginda is listed as one of the two directors of the company. The other director is his father, Abdul Malim Baginda. Where does Malta come in? In parliament yesterday, Evarist Bartolo revealed that among the several companies worldwide currently investigated by French authorities in connection with this case is Gifen: a Malta-based company founded in 2001 by Frenchman Jean-Marie Bouvin, who has long been associated with the sale of military and defence equipment to countries such as Malaysia, Pakistan and Taiwan. On paper, Gifen offers consultancy services, and Bartolo said in parliament yesterday that its sole director is listed as David Grech, with Noelle Grima as company secretary until March 2011, when Edward Attard Montalto also joined the firm. Its auditors are Attard Giglio and Co. Bartolo noted also that Gifen’s most active years were between 2001 and 2004, with an income of almost €1.5 million, while its registered expenses took the form of ‘consultancy services’ and ‘travelling expenses’. Bartolo added that French investigators are currently looking into whether Gifen was used “to facilitate the movement of money involved in this contract”, as well as to pay for travelling expenses incurred by Baginda and Altantuya. Other companies allegedly used for similar purposes are Eurolux (based in Luxembourg) and Technomar, based in Belgium. Bartolo further alleged that Bouvin, who had founded Gifen in 2001, was very well-connected with the French secret services, and close ties both with (then) President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister de Villepin. According to the Opposition MP, Bouvin would pay commissions, through a company called Heine, in order to secure successful bids for public contracts. After France signed the UN Convention Against Corruption, Bouvin allegedly began to operate though different channels – setting up companies in Ireland, Switzerland, Mauritius, the Isle of Man… and Malta. Bartolo added that responsibility to regulate such operations in Malta fell to the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit and the Malta Financial Services Authority, and that the reputation of Malta as a centre for financial services was at stake. He reminded the Houseof a report by the Council of Europe’s Committee on Money Laundering, which had observed that Malya’s legislation is good, but enforcement is lacking. |
| Maltese Company Named in Submarines Scandal Posted: 06 Jun 2012 12:40 PM PDT French prosecutors investigating the biggest French arms sales to Malaysia involving two submarines and a second-hand ship costing a billion euro have discovered that a company called 'Gifen' based in Malta played an important part together with other companies based in Luxembourg, Belgium and Hong Kong in funneling millions of euros paid to companies run by friends of the present Prime Minister of Malaysia Razak Najib. Najib was the Minister of Defence of Malaysia who signed the deal in 2002. Gifen was set up in Malta by Jean-Marie Bouvin who has been also heavily involved in other shady deals of sales by the French state company DCN of submarines to Pakistan and frigates to Taiwan. French prosecutors discovered the company Gifen registered in Malta by Peralta Custodian Limited after they looked into bank vaults and scrutinized contracts, memoranda of understanding (MOU), memoranda of intent (MOI), invoices and bank accounts of various people including Abdul Razak Baginda, a very close friend of Prime Minister Najib. They have also looked at internal confidential reports of DCN and the French Ministry of Defence. Bouvin set up Gifen and other similar companies in other countries to bypass anti corruption laws and conventions signed by France in 2000. Before that year French companies used to bribe foreign politicians and government officials to win contracts and the sums paid were deducted from their taxes. Companies owned by friends of the present Malaysian Prime Minister were paid €114 million for services rendered to secure the contract. But since after the year 2000 such payments became punishable by prison and fines, French companies created fictitious companies like Gifen to conceal the money paid in bribes to politicians and officials to win contracts. These companies were referred to as "service providers". The method used was to create "service providers" that could "increase invoices" in order to take the place of commissions. The French investigation shows that a commercial engineering contract was then signed between DCNI and Thales (also involved in the submarine and ship sales to Malaysia), referred to as "C5". The "C5? contract covered €30 million paid in commercial costs overseas. The companies used to cover these costs were "Gifen in Malta, Eurolux in Luxemburg and Technomar in Belgium". The travel expenses of Baginda and Altantuya Shaariibuu were covered by money provided by Gifen and the other two companies. Shaariibuu was murdered in 2006 after she threatened to spill all the beans on the billion euro submarine deal when a €500,000 commission promised to her was not paid. |
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