Ex-BNS official to be charged with CBT on Aug 16 over LCS project

PUTRAJAYA: A former high-ranking Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS) official will be charged with criminal breach of trust (CBT) in connection with the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) scandal on Tuesday (Aug 16).

The individual will be brought to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court around 9am to face the charges.

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Sources with knowledge of the case confirmed that there will be charges made tomorrow.

“Yes, we are charging a certain individual tomorrow (Tuesday),” a source told The Star on Monday (Aug 15).

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In July, The Star reported that anti-graft investigators were convinced that they had enough evidence to bring charges against several individuals involved in the multi-billion ringgit LCS project.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had recently told the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to expedite investigations into the LCS case, and should there be solid proof, the Attorney General is to prosecute and bring those responsible to court.

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The Cabinet, in its weekly meeting had also decided for two high-level investigative reports, including one by the governance, procurement and finance investigation committee, to be made public.

The other report is a forensic audit report on the project conducted in 2019, which will be declassified.

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On Aug 4, the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said that some RM1.4bil in government allocation for the LCS project had been used for other purposes, including cost overruns.

The two-year probe by PAC also revealed that the RM9bil project was done through direct negotiations with BNS and was inked in 2014.