Will EADS-AIRBUS be the next target of a Malaysian initiated French judicial investigation

In December 2009 the Malaysian human rights group Suaram initiated an investigation under French law into alleged irregularities,including the payments of bribes,connected to the sale of submarines to the Malaysian Navy by DCNS of France(http://suaram.net/scorpene/scorpene-qa).

The investigation is ongoing and the court hearings promise to be explosive and likely to cause damage to DCNS and a number of political personalities(http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/07/23/bourdon-deported-because-he-knew-too-much/).



DCNS's Malaysian deals however are relatively small compared to the business that EADS and its subsidiary Airbus have been doing in Malaysia, particularly with low cost airline Air Asia Bhd.Indeed in June this year AirAsia "sealed" a record-breaking $18 billion order for 200 aircraft from EADS-Airbus.

(http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/21/ana-idUSL3E7IL0MY20110721)



The recently reported merger of AirAsia with Malaysian flag carrier Malaysian Airlines has caused the Opposition MP Wee Choo Keong to raise the following issues:



Everyone should now be asking:



Who is or was the agent for Airbus in Malaysia when AirAsia or Datuk Tony Fernandes, as he then was, when signed the agreement to purchase the 200 Airbus aircraft a few years ago?



Why AirAsia had to delay the deliveries of the Airbus when AirAsia was supposed to take delivery of it on a monthly basis?



Now according to the The Star report, Airasia has purchased 200 aircraft and MAS was to make a decision on replacement aircraft. I thought that MAS has already ordered several Boeing A380 and the delivery of them earlier next year. A380 aircraft will be in operation in April 2012.

http://weechookeong.wordpress.com/2011/08/07/yb-datuk-idris-jala-is-this-airasiamas-share-swab-an-indirect-bailout/



Wee's questions, particularly about the agent for the purchase,imply that there is now some suspicion whether bribery was involved in the Airbus-AirAsia deals,of which the above-mentioned is only one of many going back over the past five to six years.

Given the success Suaram has had in launching an investigation in France into suspicions of irregularities in the conduct of DCNS business in Malaysia, it would not be beyond imagination to expect that the same might be initiated against EADS-Airbus.The reported Airasia-MAS merger is already stirring up a storm of controversy in Malaysia and Wee's queries are probably one in a string of many to follow. Looking to Suaram for inspiration it is not unlikely that some Malaysian activists might seek an investigation into EADS-Airbus dealings in Malaysia as a means of scuttling that deal.

END

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