48 hours up, LCS auditor yet to address Latiff’s letter of demand

KUALA LUMPUR – The audit firm that prepared the forensic audit report on the littoral combat ship (LCS) procurement has yet to respond to the letter of demand issued by special functions minister Datuk Abdul Latiff Ahmad.

Representing Latiff,  lawyer Chetan Jethwani confirmed to Malaysiakini that the letter of demand was sent to Alliance IFA (M) Sdn Bhd director Prabhat Kumar but has yet to get a response.

“We can confirm that there is a letter of demand (sent to the auditor), but we have not received a response yet. 

“I am not in a position to disclose the content of the letter of demand, that is confidential,” Chetan was quoted as saying.

It was reported that the letter threatened to commence legal proceedings against the recipient if he “fails, refuses, or neglects” to respond within 48 hours from September 7.

The legal letter demanded several matters from Prabhat, including for him to withdraw his “incorrect” statements on Latiff, and to issue an apology to the minister over the allegedly defamatory revelations made in the forensic report.  

It also demanded Prabhat write to Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Sdn Bhd (BHIC) to correct the alleged inaccuracies contained in the report.

“You would be aware that your statement is wholly untrue and highly defamatory to our client (Latiff), dragging our client into public scandal and odium,” the letter sighted by The Vibes said. 

“Your statement has also caused many issues within our client’s family and constituency.”

The letter referred to various posts by PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli, who made allegations against Latiff based on the forensic audit report prepared by the company.

Among others, the forensic report named Zainab Mohd Salleh as the wife of Latiff, claiming that she had stakes in the multi-billion ringgit project.

The audit report was prepared for BHIC, a sister company of the main LCS contractor Boustead Naval Shipyard Bhd (BNS).

Both BHIC and BNS are subsidiaries of Boustead Group Bhd.

Previously, Rafizi had made several revelations about Latiff and his alleged spouse Zainab, who is named as a shareholder of Malta-based offshore incorporated company Alizes Marine Ltd, the firm implicated in the syphoning of funds from the LCS project to foreign accounts.

Latiff, a former Umno lawmaker and deputy defence minister from 2008 to 2013 when the LCS project was in its initial phases, had subsequently denied the accusations, saying he is open to being investigated over the issue. 

Latiff has also been the subject of numerous police reports about the controversy, including those made by PKR Youth vice-chief Atyrah Hanim Razali, with the support of several other party figures, namely PKR strategy director and Johor Baru MP Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir. – The Vibes, September 9, 2022