PETALING JAYA: Two more victims of conman Baladevan - a widow and a lady lawyer - have come forward with their own stories of how their lives were ruined by his scams.
This time, the plot thickened with the Works Ministry and the then minister S Samy Vellu being dragged into into the scandal.
Consumer Association of Subang and Shah Alam president Jacob George said that one of the victims, a 46-year-old lawyer lost RM500,000 and had been made bankrupt and disbarred because of the scandal.
She contacted George after he had highlighted in the media about Baladevan having allegedly swindled more than 40 local companies of over RM5 million.
George said: "The lawyer lodged a police report in 2006. In it, she claimed that the Baladevan and his brother, the then a private secretary to Samy Vellu were behind a scheme to procure three Malaysian government road works contracts in 2004”.
These were road upgrade and repair works along the Seremban to Senawang road; the Sungai Balang, Batu Pahat road; and the Lubok Cina, Malacca road.
Baladevan and his brother, said George, enticed the lawyer, who was then representing several contractors, saying that they were in a position due to their closeness to Samy Vellu, to provide them letter of awards for those projects.
"She said Baladevan had told her Samy Vellu wanted to help him and his brother and had allocated the said projects for them to give out ," said George.
"There were several meetings between the two brothers in the private secretary's office at the works ministry in Jalan Sultan Salahuddin, and a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
Baladevan had asked the lawyer a sum of RM200,000 for one of the awards with an undertaking to give a letter signed by him to return the sum in the event of failure to get the project.
"She gave him the money but did not get the contract. Her calls went unanswered, and as a result legal action was taken by her contractor clients against her. She was made a bankrupt and disbarred," said George.
Seeking clarification from Bukit Aman
In the case of the widow, also in her 40s, George said she lost RM200,000 as her husband was believed to be in discussions with Baladevan to receive a million-ringgit award to provide ballast and sand, as well as acquiring a quarry for the Seremban-Gemas double track project.
"According to the woman, Baladevan had already taken several thousands from her late husband after showing him price sensitive internal IRCON documents. But what's worse was that the man had continued to visit her for more money even after her husband's death.
George said he would be bringing this case to Bukit Aman to question police's inaction despite a well-written and detailed police report the lady lawyer.
"If there had been action, not so many would have fallen prey to Baladevan's cheating and fraud involving the Seremban to Gemas project.
"An arrest warrant should be issued and those who cheated individuals and companies be arrested and charged for this heinous crime," said George, who is also arranging a meeting with Samy Vellu.
To date, the estimated losses suffered by Baladevan's victims amount to about RM7 million, according to George.
Last week, the BN backbenchers club deputy chairman Bung Mokhtar Radin said its members were "very concerned" about the matter and promised to bring it up with Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha.
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