Media as Watchdog or lapdog for Barisan UMNO
The media is supposed to be a watchdog in a democracy. A fundamental quality of the media in a democracy is the function of the media as an independent watchdog. I am not talking about other countries, I am talking about India.
Yet, try and recall, how many times in the past few years have you seen reporting that blows the cover on a scam? Till the last day Satyam was hit by a scam, not one single report questioned all those golden peacock awards. Not one single report even doubted that anything was wrong with the company.
But one day after any event, any scam there are tons of reports that open up cans of worms as if they were present in ones own refrigerator. Suddenly, there is access to emails, documents. Now it is highly impossible that the media, given its access to high places is entirely ignorant.If they are, then it is all about lazy reporting. If they aren't, well, you know the picture.
Perimaker has inside information (insider trading) in the defence department, which is illegal.
to many malays, najib is only helping his friend and malays overall, to allevaite their wealth, even if it is illegally obtained, it is ok.
Let's see which one dives faster - the thieves or the subs.
In any case, this also comes under the money-laundering act! This is where TERRORIST like UMNO BN squander money from the country and transfer into foreign banks and also fund TERRORIST groups.
Southern Thailand is one group they fund..... however, not with these funds, they send so-called obsolete weapons which was suppose to be destroyed but ultimately sell weapons to countries in their agenda which they know.
Selling so-called obsolete weapons which was supposed to be deatroyed gives them "free" money again other than such scams of buying military arsenal under the pretext of the country's defense.
SCREW BN UMNO! Well perhaps such French looking into this case is also thinking of getting a 'cut' like the Dr. Peter Vanezis. These people are people without any dignity in their profession!
Indian government sources say Gupta had been spying for ISREAL since September 2008. “We have reasons to believe that she was not recruited by ISREAL mossad,” says a senior officer in R&AW. “Possibly she was picked up and nurtured either Kuala Lumpur where she was posted earlier.” The agency also says this could have been a reason why she was keen for a kuala lumpur posting — usually a first choice among Indian diplomats and intelligence officials.
Vishnu Prakash, a spokesman for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, says that Gupta “is co-operating with the investigations and inquiries.” Sources told TIME that she has told interrogators that she spied for mossad to settle scores with malaysian government for mistreating the Indians. She has also reportedly confessed that a prominent WESTERN journalist put her in touch with MOSSAD intelligence officers.
Her bank account records are being scanned, her official computer and personal laptop have been brought back to Delhi for analysis, and her personal relationship with a Pakistani intelligence officer, identified thus far only as “Rana,” is being investigated. Gupta claims she was romantically involved with “Rana,” but she was also being blackmailed by him into sharing information. Gupta now faces dismissal from service, an in-camera trial and a maximum of 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.
Written by Hamish McKenzie, Asia Sentinel
Joseph Breham, one of a team of lawyers looking into allegations of corruption in a Malaysian submarine purchase from a French defense conglomerate, told reporters in Kuala Lumpur Wednesday that he had filed a 10-page inquiry with the French courts that calls into question the actions of a company with close ties to the Malaysian Prime Minister's best friend and aide, Abdul Razak Baginda.
Breham is also expected to question several witnesses in Kuala Lumpur about the case, which has broken into the open after years of silence in Malaysia. The inquiry, which now rests with independent French prosecutors, is directed at a €114 million (US$151.1 million) commission paid to a company called Perimekar, which Breham's legal team suggests was established in 2001 purely for the purpose of receiving the kickback. Najib Tun Razak, then Malaysia's defense minister, led the negotiations with the French government to buy the two Scorpene-class submarines, build by Armaris, a subsidary of the French defense giant DCN, and to lease a third a few months later, in 2002.
Political reformers in Malaysia say they are placing their hopes on the French investigation to get to the bottom of the payment to Perimekar and its implications because, they say, there is little hope that the Malaysian justice system will bring the truth to light. Despite repeated requests for information by opposition leaders in Malaysia's parliament, Najib and other top members of the government have refused to answer.
Cynthia Gabrial, who sits on the board of directors of the human rights NGO Suaram, for whom Breham and his colleagues are acting, told Asia Sentinel that "whoever's guilty must be punished, and if it has the be the French court system that actually brings this issue to surface, then so be it."
It isn't likely that anybody will get any answers soon, however. The Perimekar episode goes well beyond Malaysia and is believed to be just a part of years of peddling defense equipment including submarines to countries across the globe by DCN.
Investigating judges looking into some parts of the French establishment have been stalled for years by their inability to obtain defense secrets, partly because of a suspicion that they are related to top figures in French politics. In the past allegations have arisen that sought to ensnare such figures as Edouard Balladur, who ran against President Jacques Chirac, and Nicholas Sarkozy, now the French president, who was Balladur's campaign manager.
Perimekar, according to the Malaysian government, was paid by DCN for "coordination and support services" during the submarine negotiations. But Breham and Suaram say it's highly unlikely the company had the ability to carry out such a role.
"Perimekar was created only in 2001, a few months before the submarine contract was definitely signed," Breham told the press conference. "This means that Perimekar has no experience at all in submarine deals, has no experience in logistics, has no experience in nothing regarding submarines."
"Perimekar until this contract had never had any contract with any company. The only thing Perimekar had done until this signature of the €114 million contract was lose RM75,000 (US$23,310) in 2002. That was the only thing Perimekar had ever done," Breham said.
Breham said the French prosecution is particularly concerned about the fact that Razak Baginda's wife, Mazalinda, was the principal shareholder of KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd, which owned Perimekar. He said he hopes the inquiry will answer where the money for the commission came from, where exactly the money went, and if the money stayed in Malaysia.RELATED ARTICLEsays journalist Arnaud Dubus( Linking Najib to Altantuya “Missing”LINK BALA WAS BOUGHT FOR MILLONS
Perimekar appears to have been subsumed into another company, Boustead DCNS, a joinrbenture between Boustead's parent company and DCNS, SA, the Frnch defense company. In its annual report, Boustead Heavy Industries described Perimekar as an "associate of the Group" that is "involved in the marketing, upgrading, maintenance and related services for the Malaysian maritime defence industry."
The inquiry is now at a preliminary stage, Breham said. If the French prosecution finds that the questionable elements surrounding the commission payment to Perimekar warrant further investigation, it will pass the case on to an 'instruction judge' who will conduct a deeper inquiry that could last for years. For instance, a similar corruption case involving DCN and the sale of frigate to Taiwan has dragged on for more than 10 years, Breham said. Then, if the judicial power believes there is sufficient evidence of corruption, the case will move to trial phase.
The scandal began to come to the surface in 2006 with the gruesome murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian translator and spurned lover of Razak Baginda who had accompanied him to France for some of the transactions over the submarines. Altantuya was shot in the head and her body was blown up with military explosives in a patch of jungle outside of Kuala Lumpur. Two of Najib's bodyguards, who were directed to intercede with her by Musa Safri, Najib's chief of staff, have been convicted of the killing. Neither Najib nor Musa has ever been questioned by law enforcement officials about the case. Razak Baginda was tried along with Najib's two bodyguards but was acquitted without having to put on a defense in a trial that left more questions than answers. Immediately after his acquittal, Razak Baginda left the country for England, where he remains.
Breham said the French jurisdiction cannot consider the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu in its investigation. "The only thing that France's jurisdiction will delve into is corruption."
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