PAC’s first LCS hearing on June 10

THE first Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) project will be held on June 10, says its chief Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin.

This matter involved public interest and they need to know about it, she said.

“It will be an update (on the project) and also a proceeding,” Mas Ermieyati told The Star when met at Parliament yesterday.

She said the LCS issue was one of her top priorities after being appointed as PAC chief.

The PAC had recommended in its report tabled on Aug 4 last year that the Defence Ministry will have to provide a quarterly update on the status of the combat ships.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said on May 27 that the government had to complete the project as RM6bil had already been spent on it.

The Finance Ministry will also take over the company responsible for the project, Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS), via a special purpose vehicle (SPV).

In a Bursa Malaysia filing on May 26, Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Bhd (BHIC) said BNS and the Defence Ministry had signed a sixth supplemental contract.

According to the filing, the number of vessels have been cut down from six to five, and the cost had been revised from RM9bil to RM11.2bil, due to changes in specifications and extension of time, among others.

The duration of the contract will be extended with the first vessel to be delivered, fully tested and trialled, in August 2026 while the fifth vessel in April 2029.