GUA MUSANG: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has not stopped its investigation into the construction of the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), said its chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki.
He said the investigation is currently at the MACC level, with the commission contacting relevant parties abroad to collect information.
"I deny allegations of outside parties claiming that the investigation of the LCS case has been stopped when in fact, the investigation is still active and ongoing.
"In addition, MACC is also making an application for Mutual Legal Assistance through the Attorney General's Chambers, for some (documents and evidence) that we need," he said.
He said this to reporters after officiating the new MACC Gua Musang branch office, on the 1st floor of the Bangunan Persekutuan, here today.
Azam said that the investigation into the case took a long time because the MACC had made several applications, including tracing the money.
The LCS project is the largest acquisition in the Defence Ministry's history, with an overall value of RM9 billion.
The contract began in 2013 and was projected to end in 10 years.
The project came under scrutiny in 2022 when the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the government had paid RM6.083 billion to Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNSSB), in a deal that was signed via direct negotiation, but not a single vessel has been delivered.
Based on the original schedule, five of the six LCS vessels should have been completed and handed over by August 2022.
PAC said its proceedings found that LCS 1 was less than 44 per cent complete at the time of the launch.
In March last year, Azam said investigations into the LCS issue will see more individuals, including VIPs, summoned to facilitate the ongoing investigations.
