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Private investigator P.Balasubramaniam (left) talking with his new lawyer Arulampalam Arulampalam Mariam Pillai after the press conference Friday where he retracted the earlier statutory declaration, denying that Abdul Razak Baginda said anything to him that linked the Deputy Prime Minister to Mongolian murder victim Altantuya Shaariibuu. - Bernama

©The Star (Used by permission)

• PKR 'absolutely surprised' by Bala's retraction
• PKR Youth calls for probe into declarations
• Cops to investigate both declarations by PI

KUALA LUMPUR: Political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda's private investigator P. Balasubramaniam on Friday retracted the statutory declaration which he made less than 24 hours ago.

In a startling turn of events Balasubramaniam revealed in a second statutory declaration that he wished "to retract the entire contents of my statutory declaration dated July 1 2008. I was compelled to affirm the said statutory declaration under duress".

The document also read that all statements made were inaccurate and not the truth.

A visibly perturbed Balasubramaniam remained mum on Friday when met by pressmen who had rushed to a hotel here where his new lawyer Arulampalam Mariam Pillai accompanied him for the brief press conference.

Dressed in a cap and T-shirt Balasubramaniam refused to answer questions posed to him and left quickly after his lawyer distributed the second statutory declaration to reporters.

Arulampalam also refused to entertain pressmen, giving only a brief statement that his client was under duress and that he was upset.

The new statutory declaration withdrew all statements that Balasubramaniam had revealed to a packed press conference organised by PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at party headquarters on Thursday.

This included the fact that he had informed police what political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda had purportedly told him prior to Altantuya's murder.

The 10 statements highlighted in the second statutory declaration dated July 4 were:

* At no material time did Razak inform him (Balasubramaniam) that the former was introduced to Altantuya Shaariibuu by a VIP;

* At no material time did Razak inform him that Najib had a sexual relationship with Altantuya and that she was "susceptible to anal intercourse";

* At no material time did Razak inform him that Najib instructed Razak to look after Altantuya as he did not want her to harass him since he (Najib) was the Deputy Prime Minister;

* At no material time did Razak and/or Altantuya inform him that Najib, together with Razak and Altantuya had met and all been together at a dinner in Paris;

* At no material time did Altantuya inform him that she wanted money in the sum of US$500,000 as a commission for a submarine deal she "assisted" with in Paris;

* At no time whatsoever did Razak and/or Altantuya inform him that Najib met with Altantuya in Singapore;

* At no time whatsoever did Altantuya inform him that she wanted Balasubramaniam to arrange to see Najib;

* At no time did he tell the police during the course of their investigations about any relationship between Najib and Altantuya as no such relationship existed to his knowledge;

* At no time did Razak inform him that he had sent Najib an SMS the evening before he (Razak) was arrested; and

* At no time did Razak inform him that Najib has sent him an SMS on the day of his (Razak) arrest to the effect that he was going to see the IGP that day and that the matter should be resolved and for Razak to remain calm.

PKR 'absolutely surprised' by Bala's retraction

by Shahanaaz Habib

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR is "absolutely surprised" that Abdul Razak Baginda's private investigator P. Balasubramaniam had retracted his first statutory declaration which they insist he made voluntarily.

PKR vice-president R. Sivarasa said the retraction was something serious and called for an independent investigation and a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

He believed Balasubramaniam had been under pressure by "interested parties" to withdraw the first statutory declaration that had been released on Thursday where he alleged that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had a sexual relationship with Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, among other things.

Balasubramaniam had also said in his first statutory declaration, that before Razak was arrested for abetting in Altantuya's murder, he had showed him an SMS purportedly sent by Najib telling him to be cool and that everything would be resolved because he (Najib) was meeting with the Inspector-General of Police at 11am that day.

"Other than his statutory declaration, Bala (Balasubramaniam) spoke openly about it during the press conference (at the PKR headquarters on Thursday). You can tell from his demeanour that he was speaking voluntarily.

"Then he changes overnight. This is very unusual. There are two statutory declarations and the judge in the Altantuya trial needs to decide which one is the truth," said Sivarasa who is a lawyer by profession.

He said it was obvious that someone or "interested parties" got Balasubramaniam to change his statement, adding that there was a pattern of manipulation in this.

"This has a bearing in criminal justice system," he said.

Barely 24 hours after his first statutory declaration, Balasubramaniam made a second statutory declaration on Friday stating that his first statutory declaration was made under duress and as such he wished to retract its entire contents.

Sivarasa said he "is absolutely certain" that Balasubramaniam had made the first statutory declaration voluntarily.

"His lawyer Americk (Sidhu) will support that," he said, adding that it was not PKR that engaged the lawyer for Balasubramaniam.

Sivarasa said that when Balasubramaniam first approached him about the Altantuya murder case, he advised the private investigator to get a lawyer and write down the details independently.

"I only saw the statutory declaration after it was completed," he said.

At Thursday's press conference organised by PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim where Balasubramaniam released his first statutory declaration, he was present with his lawyer Americk.

On Friday however, for his second statutory declaration, Balasubramaniam engaged a different lawyer, Arulampalam Mariam Pillai.

PKR Youth calls for probe into declarations

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin on Friday lodged a police report calling for an investigation into the statutory declarations by Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamarudin and private investigator P. Balasubramaniam.

Shamsul made the report at 3pm at the Dang Wangi police station on Friday. He left the police station about half an hour later.

Cops to investigate both declarations by PI

PETALING JAYA: Police will investigate the two statutory declarations made by private investigator P. Balasubramaniam although he has withdrawn the first statutory declaration made on Thursday.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said police would conduct a thorough investigation into the matter regardless of the retraction.

He declined to elaborate.

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