KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad has once again denied having any link to the littoral combat ship (LCS) scandal.
Latiff, who is Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Special Functions), reiterated via a Facebook post today that none of his wives were named Zainab Mohd Salleh, and that none of his family members were involved in the supply or construction of LCS.
"As a representative from a seaside area and island (Mersing)… I like to eat fish, but not sharks.
"Siakap senohong gelama ikan duri, cakap bohong lama lama jadi pencuri, siakap senohong gelama ikan jerung, cakap pembohong tak lama mati jadi jerangkung," he said, quoting a Malay proverb.
This was the second time the minister had issued a denial that he had a wife named Zainab Mohd Salleh following allegations made by PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli.
On Monday, Rafizi had named a woman who was allegedly embezzling funds for the construction of the LCS, and claimed that she was Dr Latiff's second wife.
He had claimed that the woman owned two offshore companies, one registered in Malta and another registered in Labuan.
Rafizi alleged that these companies were appointed as the technical consultants for the LCS project despite having no expertise on the matter.
The former Pandan member of Parliament also claimed the companies had issued invoices to the government although they had failed to perform their work.
He claimed RM23.37 million was embezzled at the beginning of the project between 2011 and 2014. Rafizi said the Malta-registered company was appointed as a spare parts supplier to the LCS project based on false information that the French government had licensed it to be a global exporter of defence spare parts.
He said when the issue happened, Latif, who is also Mersing MP, was an Umno leader before joining Bersatu after the 2018 general election.
Latiff was deputy defence minister between 2008 and 2013. The defence minister at the time was Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.