The Malaysian Bar - Judge ticks off MP for slur over Sosilawati case

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Judge ticks off MP for slur over Sosilawati case

Thursday, 10 November 2011 09:16am

©The Star (Used by permission)

SHAH ALAM: Padang Serai MP N. Gobalakrishnan was ticked off at the High Court here for his remarks in a Malay daily relating to the murder trial of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others.

Justice Akhtar Tahir did not mask his disdain when he told Gobalakrishnan that as an MP, he should have known that making such remarks were considered subjudice.

The MP got into hot soup over a news report on Aug 18, in which he commented on lead defence counsel Manjeet Singh Dhillon’s action in asking the court to cite the prosecution for contempt.

The judge said the court did not summon Gobalakrishnan on behalf of Manjeet but was concerned that the MP had manipulated the court’s proceedings for political purposes.

“Let me tell you, the judges in Malaysia are more independent than you think.

“We are not fools who just sit and allow DPPs and defence counsels to do as they please. We go according to the law,” he remarked.

Gobalakrishnan, who quit PKR in January to become an Independent MP, told the judge that he did not remember what he had said to the reporter.

To this, Justice Akhtar said Gobalakrishnan need not explain further as the court had already summoned the reporter who clarified that he had indeed made the remark.

The judge then gave Gobalakrishnan a stern final warning. Manjeet told reporters later that he had served Gobalakrishnan with a RM2.5mil summons writ for allegedly defaming him.

In his statement of claim, Manjeet said Gobalakrishnan had falsely and maliciously made derogatory remarks without basis to tarnish his reputation.

At the trial proper, a Hospital Kuala Lumpur forensic medical officer testified that he had received a request from the police on Sept 19 to take blood samples from four individuals for DNA comparison.

Dr Amir Saad Abdul Halim, 40, said he then ordered a trained nurse to draw blood from Suzana Radin Pangat, 38, and her children Muhammad Azri Shahzan, Nor Aneesa Salbiah and Muhammad Faiz Ridzmi.

Suzana is the wife of bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, who went missing with Sosilawati, 47, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, and lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32. They are believed to have been murdered.

The blood specimens were passed to the police on the same day.

Four people – former lawyer N. Pathmanabhan, 41, and three of his farmhands T. Thilaiyalagan, 19, R. Matan, 20, and R. Kathavarayan, 30, have been charged with the murders.

They allegedly committed the offences at Lot 2001, Jalan Tanjung Layang, Tanjung Sepat, Banting, between 8.30pm and 9.45pm on Aug 30 last year. The hearing continues.

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