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©Bernama
(Used by permission)
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 13 (Bernama) -- The younger brother of lawyer Datuk V. K.
Lingam told the Royal Commission of Inquiry Tuesday that he "really feared" his
brother as he was very influential.
V. K. Thirunama narrated to the inquiry an incident where his elder sister, V.
K. Lashimi wanted to go to India and marry the man of her choice.
He said when Lashimi boarded the plane bound for India, Lingam used the
immigration (department) and the police to forcefully bring her out of the
plane.
"She was sent home and locked up in her room... her clothes were set ablaze," he
said, replying to a question by his counsel, Wee Choo Keong.
However, Thirunama's narration on why he feared his brother was cut short by
commission chairman Tan Sri Haidar Mohamed Noor.
To another question by Wee, Thirunama said on a visit to London together with
Lingam and another older brother, Lingam took several documents from his safe
deposit box.
The documents included travel documents pertaining to a New Zealand trip,
itemised billing of phone calls which Lingam made on his mobile phone, handphone
bills paid for former chief justice Tun Mohd Eusoff Chin and former high court
Judge K. L. Rekraj, a poison-pen letter that he (Thirunama) showed to counsel
Tommy Thomas in early 1997, and a list of judges' phone numbers written by
Lingam.
Thirunama said Lingam had thrown away the poison-pen letter and taken the rest
of the documents to their hotel room at Hyde Park Tower Hotel in London.
To a question by Wee whether he demanded RM1,000 monthly allowance from an older
brother, Datuk V. Sivaparanjothi, Thirunama said the latter called him and
wanted to bank in the money into his account because he (Thirunama) did some
wiring (electrical) jobs for him and cleaned his cattle farm.
Thirunama said the payment stopped in 2007, when he made a police report, adding
that Sivaparanjothi asked him to retract the report or risk being threatened by
lawyers Datuk M. Kumaraendran, Datuk V. Sithambaram and C. Vijaya Kumar.
Asked by counsel David Gurupathan representing Rekraj, on whether it was
possible that Lingam might have Rekraj's telephone number because he (Lingam)
once worked with Rekraj in a law firm, Thirunama said: "It is possible".
Replying to a suggestion by counsel V. Vijaya Segaran representing psychiatrist
Datuk Seri Dr M. Mahadevan that he (Thirunama) was not properly dressed when he
first met the psychiatrist, Thirunama replied: "It's not true".
Thirunama said that he was not emotional, suicidal, mad or delusional and in
fact, was normal when he first met Dr Mahadevan on March 8, 1998.
To another suggestion by Segaran that he turned up at Dr Mahadevan's clinic
without appointment and nobody contacted him (Mahadevan) in advance, Thirunama
said he did not agree.
He also disagreed with Segaran that he told a lie in his testimony that it was
his elder sister (Lashimi) who instructed him what to write in the psychiatric
report.
Replying to a series of questions by counsel R. Thayalan representing Lingam
regarding his resignation from Tenaga Nasional Berhad (formerly known as Lembaga
Letrik Negara), Thirunama said that Lashimi drafted the letter in 1997 and it
was Lingam who pressured him to resign.
Thirunama said in the resignation letter, it was stated that he had to resign to
take care of his asthma-stricken daughter.
Asked further by Thayalan whether there was disciplinary action against him
because he did not attend work for three days in a row, Thirunama said: "Lingam
told me not to go to work at all".
Thirunama however, said that he did not make any police report about his brother
(Lingam) pressuring him to write the resignation letter.
He also told the commission that Lingam asked him to run the limousine business
and helped him financially to start the business.
Replying to a question by Thayalan on whether Lingam and other siblings raised a
finger to help him, Thirunama said: "For some reason unknown, yes".
When answering a query by counsel Christopher Leong representing the Malaysian
Bar, Thirunama said that after he returned from London with counsel Datuk
Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, he was asked by his siblings including Sivaparanjothi,
Lashimi and Lingam, to sign a statutory declaration.
However, he said he did not know its contents.
"I signed the statutory declaration under duress because I was threatened that
my children would be kidnapped if I did not.
"I told the commissioner of oaths that I did not read the statutory declaration
and he asked me to read it but I was prevented from doing so by my siblings," he
said.
Thirunama said that Lingam had once, come to his house and took him to a
restaurant in Sea Park where Lashimi was waiting, adding that they confirmed
that the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) would question him.
He said Lingam had asked him to go into hiding in India, and to also consult Dr
Mahadevan.
He said on March 8, 1998 he gave a statement to the ACA, adding that Lashimi
later told him (Thirunama) that Lingam and his wife were crying because of the
ACA statement.
"As my sister (Lashimi) became so emotional (because of Thirunama's action) I
was requested to fake mental illness.
"I was put under tremendous pressure at that time as Lashimi told me my action
might cause Lingam to be put behind bars and that his reputation would be
affected," he said.
Hearing continues Wednesday.
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