Probe into arms purchase urged

Probe into arms purchase urged

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysia's parliamentary opposition leader yesterday called for an inquiry into allegations by an air force general that the defense ministry had bought sub-standard equipment from ex-military officers.

Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) chief Lt. Gen. Abdul Ghani Aziz, in a speech reported in the New Straits Times last Friday, chastised former air force officers for selling unsuitable and obsolete equipment to the air force.

"I will ask the relevant authorities to study whether the allegations are true or not," Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told reporters in the northern resort of Langkawi on Sunday.

Defense Minister Syed Hamid Albar said at the weekend he had asked Ghani to give him the name of these officers to prove the allegations.