M'SIA WON'T ACCEPT NUCLEAR-SMUGGLING CLAIMS WITHOUT PROOF

KUALA KLAWANG (Malaysia), Jan 17 (Bernama) -- The Foreign Ministry will ask for a full report from the United States' State Department over the claims that the Scomi Group chief executive officer had been slapped with sanctions over his alleged involvement in a nuclear-smuggling network.

Minister Dr Rais Yatim said Malaysia would not accept the allegations
without proof.

"We will wait for the official report from the parties that conducted the
investigations," he told Bernama here.

He said the government would carry out its own investigations to ascertain
whether the claims had any basis.

Rais was asked to comment on an article in The Straits Times, Singapore,
that Scomi CEO, Shah Hakim @ Shahzanim Zain, was designated by the US State
Department along with 12 other individuals for their alleged involvement in
nuclear proliferation.

Shah Hakim had denied that he was involved in any further investigation into
the alleged nuclear proliferation network since 2004.

In a statement issued by Scomi Friday, Shah Hakim also said that he was not
notified of the action taken by the US State Department against him.
-- BERNAMA