Bring those responsible for LCS scandal to justice, says Sik MP

KUALA LUMPUR: Those involved in the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) scandal must be brought to justice immediately, says Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) member said action must be taken against the perpetrators for betraying the trust of the people and threatening Malaysia's sovereignty.

"The delay in the procurement of the LCS has impacted our economy negatively in the long run and will affect the management of the country's strategic defence assets," said the Sik MP, who is from PAS.

He added in a statement on Tuesday (Aug 9) that the delay will also put the security of Malaysians in danger and said that it is unfortunate that nothing has been delivered even though excess payments have been made.

"(It is) sad and frustrating. We have used public money. Where are the combat ships for our national defence?" he questioned, adding that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should investigate whether there was any abuse of power, corruption and breach of trust involved for each payment.

It was previously reported that RM1.4bil worth of government funds intended for the multibillion-ringgit LCS project signed in 2014 was diverted for other purposes.

None of the ships have been completed so far, although five should have been delivered by this month, the PAC revealed in Parliament.

Another RM255mil worth of LCS equipment, or 15% of the RM1.7bil worth, which was kept in storage for the project, is now obsolete.

These were among the findings contained in the bipartisan committee's 250-page report that was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on Aug 4.