KUALA LUMPUR: An aide to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Special Functions) Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad has lodged a police report against PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli.
Sayed Ahmad Muizzuddin Al Sayed Mohamad lodged the report over Rafizi's claims that Abdul Latiff has a wife named Zainab Mohd Salleh, who was implicated for allegedly misappropriating funds from the littoral combat ship (LCS) project.
Speaking after lodging the report at Dang Wangi police headquarters on Tuesday (Aug 30), Sayed Ahmad described Rafizi's social media posts on the matter as lies.
ALSO READ: LCS scandal: Rafizi used draft of forensic report, no proof Zainab is my wife, says Abdul Latiff
"His (Rafizi) posts claimed the minister has a second wife named Zainab Mohd Salleh and that her actions were linked to the minister. The minister has no wife or an ex-wife named as such," he said.
Meanwhile, Abdul Latiff said he hoped that the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) would investigate and prosecute Rafizi and other parties who are colluding with him.
"A police report has been lodged against Rafizi for his lies aimed at tarnishing my good name. I believe the lies were created for political reasons and to incite public anger against me while increasing the distress of the rakyat," he said in a Facebook post.
ALSO READ: LCS scandal: Sue me if Zainab isn't your wife, Rafizi tells Abdul Latiff
The Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) MP for Mersing previously stated that none of his family members were involved in business involving the supply or construction of the LCS.
He denied allegations that his wife or wives were involved in the project.
“I have no wife or wives named Zainab Mohd Salleh. None of my family members are involved in business involving the supply or construction of LCS ships,” he said in a Facebook post on Aug 26.
On Aug 22, Rafizi named Abdul Latiff as another key player in the LCS scandal.
Rafizi alleged that companies linked to the second wife of a former deputy defence minister were involved in the LCS scandal.
In a statement, Rafizi had linked one "Zainab Mohd Salleh" to an offshore company with units incorporated in tax havens such as Malta and Labuan.
Rafizi later clarified in a tweet that the "Zainab Salleh" he was referring to was not the chief financial officer of the Dialog Group as some had speculated.
He also claimed that the woman was Abdul Latiff's second wife.
ALSO READ: Plot thickens on identity of the mystery woman
The declassified forensic report by the Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Berhad (BHIC) on the LCS scandal also named a husband and wife, "Abdul Latiff Ahmad" and "Zainab Mohd Salleh", as the individuals linked to Alizes Marine Ltd, a company flagged for suspicious transactions in a spare parts deal.
Zainab was said to be the shareholder and director of Alizes Marine Ltd domiciled in Malta, and Intralogisitics Ltd registered in Labuan, which owns Alizes Marine Labuan and Sousmarin Armada Sdn Bhd.
“BHIC suspected serious irregularities in the procurement process of various spare parts by Boustead Penang Shipyard. This contract was awarded by Boustead DCNS Naval Corp Sdn Bhd (BDCNS).
"Most of the procurement was made through Alizes Marine, but there were few accounts in the name of Alizes Marine. These were created to impersonate Alizes Marine France so that payment could be channelled to a third party,” Rafizi added.
BDCNS is a joint venture between BHIC and DCNS, which was formed in 2009 for ship maintenance and allied services.
