France's Thales charged over 2002 submarines deal with Malaysia

A file picture of the French-made Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarine, KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, in Port Klang on Sept 3, 2009. – AFP

PARIS, France (AFP): A French judge has charged the defence group Thales with complicity in bribery over a 2002 sale of submarines to Malaysia, sources close to the inquiry told AFP on Tuesday (April 26).

The long-running case into alleged kickbacks was opened in 2010 and eventually caught up the former Malaysian prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.