KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 — Lawyer R. Sivarasa was questioned for nearly four hours
at the Commercial Crimes Division where he was summoned by the police to give
his statement in relation to the statutory declarations (SDs) of missing private
investigator P. Balasubramaniam.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, he explained that the lengthy interrogation
was due to "slow typing on the computer" while his statement was recorded by ACP
Tan Kok Liang. The questioning itself took three-and-a-half hours and was
handled by investigating officer Supt V. Muniandy.
The lawyer, who looked a little weary after the lengthy questioning which lasted
through lunch, informed reporters that he was connected with Balasubramaniam's
first SD: he was the one who advised Balasubramaniam to seek a lawyer and to
have his statement on the relationships of the people involved in the ongoing
murder trial of Mongolian model and translator Altantuya Shaariibuu recorded.
"The focus was on the first statutory declaration. The police are investigating
whether the SD was made voluntarily or under force.
"When I raised the issue of the second SD, the police could not provide a
satisfactory answer," the MP for Subang said, adding that they did not divulge
any information on who recorded Balasubramaniam's second statement or the
identity of the Commissioner of Oaths to whom the statement was sworn.
He elaborated that in response to his query, the chagrined police asked if he
had played a role in the second SD, to which he replied he did not, and that was
the end of the matter as far as the police were concerned.
"To me, this raises a question. They must investigate the two SDs thoroughly to
find the answer to the key question: Which of these two SDs are true?
"I am convinced that the first SD made by Bala was made voluntarily and I
believe that the first SD is true."
Sivarasa, who is also the vice-president of Parti Keadilan Rakya, then commented
on the Shah Alam High Court's rejection of the motion to summon Deputy Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and recall Balasubramaniam to the witness
stand for the ongoing Altantuya Shaariibuu trial.
"Without taking this to court, how will we know which SD is correct?"
Sivarasa reiterated his party's stand on the need for a Royal Commission of
Inquiry into Balasubramaniam's two contradictory statements. In the second
statement, the private investigator, who was hired by political analyst Abdul
Razak Baginda, accused of murder in the Altantuya trial, retracted all mention
of Najib, whom he had earlier linked to the murder victim.
Sivarasa also reiterated that such investigations as the police are carrying
out, including the questioning of lawyers, no matter how professionally it is
conducted by the investigating officer, is "not correct and independent" as
ultimately, the higher-ups in the police force were the ones who decided the
direction of the investigation.
"This is not a fair and moral investigation," Sivarasa emphasised. He added that
the top cop himself, Tan Sri Musa Hassan, has been implicated in past
mischief-making, such as the allegations of fabricated evidence in Datuk Seri
Anwar Ibrahim's 1998 trial for sodomy.
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