LAWYERS for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak have rejected suggestions of any wrongdoing in connection with a 2002 French submarine procurement deal, following a Bloomberg report dated 20 May 2025 which cited filings by French prosecutors.
In a statement issued by law firm Messrs Shafee & Co, Najib’s legal representatives argued that the article contains no evidence implicating their client, and stressed that French authorities have not recommended any charges or sought an indictment against him.
“On the face of that article and the underlying 2024 French court filing it cites, the following points are clear:
“The funds said to be ‘designed to remunerate Malaysian public decision-makers’ are not linked to our client, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and the article itself states that ‘no evidence shows he received any of those payments’.”
They further noted, “French prosecutors have not recommended that he stand trial or sought any indictment against him.”
According to the firm, any insinuation that Najib could be held liable is without factual foundation.
Addressing claims that French investigators were hindered in accessing Malaysian documents due to Najib’s alleged influence, the firm described such claims as “both speculative and illogical”, particularly given the political landscape in Malaysia since 2018.
“Since 2018 Malaysia has had three successive administrations, each politically adverse to him; during that period the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and multiple parliamentary committees have enjoyed unfettered access to Ministry of Defence records and other relevant sources. No document implicating Najib has ever been produced, because none exists.”
The statement also defended Najib’s role in the 2002 negotiations, stating that his participation as defence minister was entirely within the scope of his official duties.
“His presence during submarine-procurement negotiations in 2002… was an inherent and legally mandated part of his duties. To re-cast a ministerial role as evidence of wrongdoing — absent any proof of personal enrichment or unlawful directive — is not merely baseless; it is a mischievous insinuation designed to mislead public opinion.”
Najib’s legal team concluded that the Bloomberg story presents “a non-issue so far as Najib’s legal position is concerned.”
Bloomberg, in a report entitled “French prosecutors claim Najib had role in 2002 submarine deal” published yesterday cited French financial prosecutors have alleged that former prime minister Najib Razak held meetings with defence company executives to prepare contracts that formed part of a US$1.2 billion submarine deal signed in 2002 — contracts which they claim were structured to remunerate Najib and others.
The allegations are contained in a confidential investigative document prepared last year by the Parquet National Financier (PNF), reviewed by Bloomberg News. The document outlines the prosecutors' findings in a broader investigation involving French defence giant Thales SA and DCN International (DCNI), now a unit of Naval Group.
According to Bloomberg, the prosecutors claim the contracts discussed during Najib's meetings with executives were intended to benefit him and several other parties. The meetings reportedly took place ahead of the formal signing of the deal during his tenure as Malaysia’s defence minister.
The PNF has recommended that criminal charges be brought against several individuals, including Najib’s former adviser Abdul Razak Baginda, as well as the companies involved — DCNI, Thales, and two other Thales-linked entities.
France’s Ministry of Justice confirmed to Bloomberg that the recommendations had been formally submitted. The case is now in the hands of an investigating magistrate, who will decide whether to proceed with a criminal trial or to dismiss the case. No timeline for that decision has been provided.
Najib has not been formally indicted, and his legal team has denied any wrongdoing, stating that there is no evidence linking him to illicit payments. - May 21, 2025
