MACC spooked over Altantunyagate, says lawyer

By Chen Yi Ling - Free Malaysian Today

LONDON: Pressure has built up on Malaysian authorities to reveal more than what has been the official version about the Altantunya murder, the circumstances surrounding it and the people involved.

At a much-awaited press conference here yesterday, one of private eye P Balasubramaniam’s lawyers added new life to a persistent rumour that the relevant public agencies are involved in a huge cover-up to keep Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s name out in any official reference to the murder.

Manjeet Singh Dhillon, a prominent lawyer, said the police or some other authority edited Najib’s name out of the statements that Bala made to the police during their investigation into the murder. This allegation has surfaced before on the Internet and in the opposition media, but never so starkly or at an event that has had so much advanced publicity.

“There has been a tremendous cover-up to save the possible perpetrators of this murder,” Manjeet said.

Yesterday’s press conference was in lieu of the one Bala and his lawyers had planned as an event that would follow the private eye’s interview with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The anti-graft body had agreed to meet Bala over his allegation that he was bribed and blackmailed by one of Najib’s brothers, Nazim, to leave Malaysia after making a statutory declaration contradicting an earlier one. In the earlier declaration, he alleged that Najib knew Altantuya personally. Bala has also said that Deepak Jaikishan, a businessman known to Najib’s wife Rosmah Mansor, abetted Nazim in the bribery and blackmail.

Change of government

The MACC subsequently cancelled the scheduled interview, saying the Attorney-General had advised against it because the statement to be recorded from Bala, being made abroad, could not be used in Malaysian courts. Instead, it sent a Bala a list of questions by courier.

Manjeet said the MACC had used “flimsy grounds” to cancel the interview. He charged that MACC officers were “apprehensive” about turning up in London because the investigation was becoming “dangerous to the people who hold the reins of power in Malaysia”.

Bala’s lawyers said he was willing and able to assist MACC in its investigation but that he feared returning to Malaysia.

The private eye also spoke during the press conference. He said he feared the authorities would detain him without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in order to silence him. He now lives in South India. He said he would return only after a change of government.

Others at the press conference included Sarawak PKR adviser Michael Bong and former MCA leader and senator David Yeoh. The two were in London for the launch of an organisation called Friends of Pakatan Rakyat.

Yeoh said he was there to hear Bala speak in person.

Another of Bala’s lawyers, Americk Sidhu, said he used to be politically apathetic but became “disgusted and embarrassed” over the events surrounding Altantuya’s murder.

Manjeet, Americk and another lawyer, Amarjit Singh Sidhu, are working pro bono for Bala.

Bala and his legal team will head to Paris on Monday to help French prosecutors with their probe into possible corruption in Malaysia’s purchase of French submarines. That purchase was made through Perimekar, a company owned by Najib associate Abdul Razak Baginda, who was charged with abetting in Altantuya’s murder but was subsequently acquitted.