Malaysia has taken delivery of its first submarine as part of the it's plan to establish a fleet of the vessels amidst opposition allegations of commission being paid in brokering the deal, media reports said.
French company DCNS said in a statement late Tuesday the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) received the Scorpene submarine in the French port of Toulon after the sub completed its final sea trials in December, including the successful firing of torpedoes and missiles. A second is scheduled for delivery in late 2009.
The sub's delivery again raised opposition claims that a 540-million ringgit ($149.50m) commission was paid to a close associate of deputy premier Najib Razak in brokering the deal, when the latter was defense minister.
The deputy premier, who is expected to take over as prime minister when Abdullah Ahmad Badawi steps down in March, has denied any irregularities in the deal. But senior opposition leader Lim Kit Siang called on Malaysia's new anti-corruption commission to investigate the allegation.
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May 01, 2026 15:54 ET Central banks dominated the economics news flow this week with almost all major ones announcing their latest policy decisions and many boosted expectations for a rate hike in June. In other news, several countries released the preliminary data for first quarter economic growth. In the U.S., comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell were also in focus as his term ends this month.