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KUALA LUMPUR - Two missing US-made fighter jet engines, worth 29 million US dollars and stolen from a Malaysian military airbase, have been traced to Uruguay, a report said Saturday.
Attorney general Abdul Gani Patail said Kuala Lumpur was informed about the discovery by Montevideo and had made moves to secure the return of the engines.
"We have sought the assistance of the relevant authorities in Uruguay to seek confirmation on the location of the engines and their subsequent return," he was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.
The Malaysian government is facing a storm of criticism over allegations of official corruption after the theft of the engines.
Last month a Malaysian air force sergeant and a businessman were charged over the theft. The accused pair both pleaded not guilty.
The two Northrop F-5E jet engines were reportedly sold on the black market to a South American company after being taken from a military airbase, apparently last year.
Police initially traced the engines to Argentina.
Armed forces chief Azizan Ariffin has said the theft was only the "tip of the iceberg" after an audit revealed equipment worth millions of ringgit was missing including other jet fighter parts.
A number of countries subject to US arms embargoes, including Iran, Sudan and Venezuela, have F-5 fighters that use the antiquated engines.
The jet first flew in 1963 and Northrop ended production in 1989.
- AFP/ir
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