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KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15, Bernama -- Businessman Loh Mui Fah said he sent a letter to the Prime Minister's Office and an e-mail to the special independent panel (the first panel set up to look into the "Lingam" video clip case) offering his assistance but he received no response.

Loh told the Commission of Inquiry today that when he realised the panel was set up, he wrote to the Prime Minister (PM) offering his assistance to become a witness and sent an e-mail to the panel stating that he could come forward to assist them.

Questioned by his lawyer, Americk Singh Sidhu whether the letter was received by the PM, Loh said after the letter was sent through his secretary on Nov 5 last year, he received an acknowledgement from the PM's Department, which meant that it was received.

He said he did not receive any official response from anyone until some time in December last year, and by that time the panel had already made their findings.

Loh said on Dec 28 last year, he was intercepted by two ACA officers when he was on his way to Singapore from Malacca but he did not receive any official letter from the ACA asking him to assist them.

"I read in a newspaper that anybody could assist the panel, so I contacted the panel through an e-mail using the address provided by the panel as highlighted in the newspaper on Nov 6 and Nov 11 and sent the carbon copy to the Malaysian Bar since it didn't have any official address."

However, Loh said, he did not receive any response from all the parties.

Meanwhile, commission member Datuk Mahadev Shankar said that on the date the e-mail was sent to the panel, the panel had already made their findings and had their last sitting on Oct 29.

"For the benefit of all, I am very sure of the date but it is subject to correction. We met on Nov 5 and submitted the report on Nov 6 last year. The e-mail could have been received after the panel had completed their work. Don't think we knew there was a potential witness but we didn't call him", he said.

Loh was not named as a witness in the inquiry but the commission decided to call him to take the stand today following his revelation to the media that his son was the one who recorded the video clip.

In the letter which was tendered during today's proceeding, Loh who was not in the country at that time stated that he suspected he might be the so-called witness in the controversial video clip case.

He felt that by offering his assistance, it might be useful to the investigation, otherwise he might be accused later for not coming forward voluntarily and for not cooperating with the government in case he happened to be the witness.

Loh said he also wanted an assurance that his safety would be guaranteed as deduced from the argument between Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz dan the Bar Council, that there is no such provision yet under the existing law for such protection.

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