According to the governance, procurement and finance investigation committee’s report on the project, Zahid – who was then defence minister – had initially agreed with the navy’s choice of the Sigma class ship in 2011.

However, he changed his stance after he received a letter from Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS), on July 11, 2011, recommending a different design.

On July 13, the Gowind design was chosen instead, the report revealed.

The governance, procurement and finance investigation committee found that then navy chief Abdul Aziz Jaafar had consistently defended his choice of opting for the Sigma design, as seen in his letters to the defence ministry’s secretary-general on Aug 17, 2011, and to then prime minister Najib Razak on Sept 7 of that year.

The report also revealed that Aziz had, even earlier on July 26, 2011, sent a letter to the ministry’s secretary-general explaining the navy’s preference for the Sigma class ship.

In the letter, he said the Gowind design was conceptual and unproven and that it functioned differently from an LCS.

Earlier today, the governance, procurement and finance investigation committee’s report on the troubled project was declassified and made available to the public.

The LCS project for the navy has come under heavy scrutiny for its high cost and delay in delivery. Putrajaya had spent RM6.08 billion but none of the six ships had been completed or delivered, according to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee.