KUALA LUMPUR: MIC's newest recruit T Murugiah shook with rage after learning about a report by the national news agency which linked him to police investigations into the gruesome murder of millionaires Sosilawati Lawiya and three others.
To make matters worse, a source said, the report was featured as the top item in Bernama TV's Tamil news.
On Monday, the deputy minister marched straight to the Bernama headquarters here and demanded an explanation.
The source said Murugiah was locked in a heated discussion with the editors and even accused certain people in the national news agency of working against his interest.
“It was an hour-long meeting which was full of fireworks and flaring tempers. Murugiah was very upset with the report and he slammed the editors for it,” he added.
FMT also learnt that the deputy minister, who overseas the Public Complainants Bureau, had filed a complaint against Bernama with the bureau, to which the news agency had replied.
According to the source, it was a Bernama reporter who had asked Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar about the rumours that Murugiah's office and house were to be raided.
“The police chief replied something along the lines that investigations were ongoing and Bernama reported the matter and named Murugiah. But this was later retracted,” he said.
Subsequently, Murugiah also denied that his house and family clinic were raided and claimed that the IGP had told him over the telephone that he did not make such a comment.
When contacted, a Bernama official confirmed the meeting but declined to elaborate. Murugiah could not be reached for comment.
Police report over SMS
Previously, Murugiah had filed a police report over SMSes being circulated linking him to the main suspect in the quadruple murder case.
The SMS read: "Peguam yang kena charge dalam kes Sosilawati bercadang sertai MIC kata Murugiah yang merupakan kawan baik beliau. Peguam ini juga adalah salah seorang penasihat Timbalan Menteri tersebut dalam kes ROS. Murugiah adalah rakan kongsi peguam dalam perniagaan di mana Murugiah dapat 3 juta dalam satu deal."
(The lawyer in the Sosilawati case plans to join MIC, said Murugiah, who is a good friend of his. This lawyer is also an advisor of the deputy minister in his case with the ROS (Registrar of Societies). Murugiah is a partner of the lawyer in a business where Murugiah received three million in one deal.)
Describing the SMS as libellous and aimed at undermining his political position, Murugiah denied that the lawyer had handled his case with the ROS.
Murugiah, when calling on Sosilawati's family following her murder, had said that he had met the lawyer suspect at the presentation of Aidilfitri donations in Banting on Sept 8 and the lawyer had expressed interest to join MIC.
MIC concerned with Utusan
In a related development, a MIC source expressed concern over Utusan Malaysia's news angle regarding one of the lawyers, DP Viyandran, representing the main suspect.
Vijayandran was the former secretary-general of MIC and Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker, who was embroiled in a sex scandal more than two decades ago which ended his political career.
“Utusan has published his photo on the front-page, and we are concerned that the daily may be attempting to draw a link or cast aspersions on MIC with regards to this case,” he said.
Cosmetics tycoon Sosilawati and the three others were brutally murdered, their remains burnt, and their ashes dumped in a river that flows near a farm owned by the main suspect in Banting.
The police believe that the main suspect and his brother, who is also a lawyer, could be linked to a spate of murders.
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