MACC considering French request for assistance in MRT graft probe

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today said it is examining a request by French authorities for assistance in an investigation into reports of fraud and corruption involving the Klang Valley MRT (KVMRT) project during the administration of former prime minister Najib Razak.

MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said France had applied for Mutual Legal Assistance or MLA on the matter.

He added however that the request would need to go through the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

“We are looking at what we can do in terms of assistance,” he told reporters in Putrajaya.

“Not everything they ask for, we can give. The same goes with any request we make of France – they have to help us,” he added.

He also said that MACC had opened an investigation into the project worth RM692 million some two months ago.

MalaysiaNow previously reported that French authorities were investigating allegations of fraud and bribery linked to the KVMRT project, with a focus on a company in Malaysia linked to its French conglomerate which had earned a reputation for fraudulent practices through the misrepresentation of safety and quality tests.

Checks with a source familiar with the French investigation revealed a list of prominent names including an individual who was a top aide to a former prime minister, as well as a member of the royalty.

It is understood that at least three companies in Malaysia are believed to have entered the radar of anti-graft investigators in Paris.