Lurid tale of bribery and murder looms anew for Malaysia's Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 (AFP) - Ousted Malaysian premier Najib Razak is already in hot water over allegations he looted state funds, but his legal woes could worsen as calls grow for a fresh look at an even darker past scandal involving the grisly slaying of a young model.

The lurid earlier affair centred on allegations that Malaysian officials took huge kickbacks in the 2002 purchase of Scorpene submarines from France when Najib was defence minister. The sensational saga transfixed Malaysia for years until the authoritarian former regime used its leverage to eventually bury it, though whispers persist that Najib, 64, and his wife Rosmah Mansor were deeply involved.

But Najib was trounced in a stunning May 9 election and Malaysia's new government has vowed to investigate not only current allegations that Najib stole billions from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, but also lift the lid on other unresolved scandals under the graft-plagued former government. “We are very encouraged by the quick moves so far on (1MDB) and that the government is taking previous corruption seriously,” said Cynthia Gabriel, who heads the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4), a Malaysian NGO.

Najib's immediate concern is allegations that he, his family, and cronies pillaged billions from 1MDB. He is barred from leaving Malaysia and police have seized large amounts of cash, jewels and luxury items from his home and other sites.

But 1MDB pales in many ways to the Scorpene affair, which has sex, submarines, assassins on the run, and an unfortunate Mongolian model and translator. It centres on allegations that French submarine maker DCNS paid “commissions” of more than 114 million euros to a shell company linked to Abdul Razak Baginda, a close Najib associate who brokered the $1.1 billion submarine deal. Najib's opponents said the payments were kickbacks.

Abdul Razak's Mongolian mistress Altantuya Shaariibuu, who was said to have demanded a payoff for working as a translator in negotiations, was shot dead, her body blown up with military-grade plastic explosives near KL in 2006. Allegations that Najib and Rosmah were involved in the killing -- carried out by two government body- guards -- were denied by Najib.

The case sank off the radar after a Malaysian court in 2008 cleared Abdul Razak of abetting the murder, sparking allegations of a huge cover- up to protect Najib, deputy PM by then. But a key figure now looms as a potential game- changer. Sirul Azhar Umar was convicted along with another police bodyguard in the killing, but he has said they were patsies for “important people” who ordered the murder, and has previously threatened to tell all. Before he could be jailed, Sirul somehow managed to flee in 2015 to Australia, where he is believed to be in custody.

Also looming is a slow-moving effort in French courts that could reveal more. French judicial sources last year told AFP that investigators had indicted two former top French executives linked to the Scorpene deal, as well as Abdul Razak.

Following Malaysia's election, C4 publicly called for an immediate investigation of Najib and others over the submarines and Altantuya's murder, calling the affair “one of the (previous) government's greatest robberies”. Gabriel admits that the sheer backlog of scandals under the former government, including dodgy land deals and numerous suspicious deaths of government critics could delay justice for Altantuya. Powerful vested interests also remain, including former establishment figures now aligned with the new government.