Malaysia Scomi names managers; chief executive in US probe

Malaysian engineer Scomi Group has appointed a management team pending US State Department sanctions on its chief executive, in a move aimed to ensure it can do business in the United States. CEO Shah Hakim Shahnazim Zain was named in a State Department sanctions list issued on January 12 for providing components to nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who supplied nuclear materials to Iran and Libya.
In a statement to Malaysia's stock exchange on Friday, Scomi said the formation of a 3-man executive management committee was a "temporary measure" while it sought a ruling that the sanctions did not impact on its business with US companies. Scomi was investigated after a ship carrying centrifuge parts was intercepted en route to Libya. The company said it was duped into making the parts. A Sri Lankan national with Malaysian citizenship, Buhary Syed Abu Tahir, was jailed in Malaysia for his role in Khan's nuclear network, but was released in 2008.