KUALA LUMPUR: The case involving P Chitrakala Vasu, the former chief excecutive officer of MIC's education flagship, is set to be a thriller, with many luminaries expected to be put in the dock.
Observers told FMT that the looming court battle with regard to the Maju Institute for Education Development (MIED) would “open a can of worms”.
“This is a Tamil movie thriller with all the right kind of 'masala' (hit-making ingredients),” exclaimed an MIC source, who could not contain his excitement.
He also pointed out that with the case, MIED's “closely guarded” procedures would also come out into the open.
And according to him, Chitrakala herself has been looking foward for this opportunity in order to reveal all.
“Since the scandal erupted, she has complained of not being given a proper platform to clear her name, especially on the accusations levelled against her by the MIC president (S Samy Vellu).
“If you remember, the president, who was very fond of her at one time, had branded her a liar and a thief. She is a bold woman and she's going to use the courtroom to spill all the beans,” he added.
RM4 million 'cheating' case
This morning, Chitrakala, 39, was charged with three counts of cheating to the tune of RM4 million at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court.
She was accused of cheating former MIC treasurer-general M Mahalingam, 74, who was a director and signatory of MIED Sdn Bhd, by inducing him to sign three cheques for RM1 million, RM1 million and RM2 million.
Chitrakala has claimed trial, and the case is up for mention on June 14.
Samy Vellu and other MIC bigwigs such as former vice-president S Sothinathan and education bureau chief Prof T Marimuthu are expected to take the stand.
Marimuthu is one of the three signatories for the issuance of MIED cheques, the other two being Mahalingam and Samy Vellu.
Enter the 'powers that be'
Legal experts also pointed out that the courtroom battle could take years on the ground of appeals being filed with the higher courts.
This, said MIC sources, would be bad for both the party and its president's reputation.
Meanwhile, the sources also claimed that the “powers that be” were attempting to use this court battle to apply greater pressure on Samy Vellu to make an early exit from the helm.
“It is an open secret that some parties in BN (Barisan Nasional) want him out. They see him as a stumbling block to winning back Indian votes,” said a source.
Previously, there have been news reports claiming that Prime Minister NajibTun Razak and Umno have been pushing the MIC president for a transition plan.
Sothinathan: 'Long overdue'
In a related development, Sothinathan told FMT that he welcomed the move to charge Chitrakala, but felt that it was “long overdue”.
“The report was filed in 2008. I believe the authorities must have carried out a very extensive investigation into the matter before taking the appropriate action,” he said.
Since the case involved public funds, the former deputy minister stressed that the court process should be expedited.
Despite the many issues which might crop up during the course of
“A wrong is a wrong, and those who commit an offence must be brought to book. But we should refrain from (spreading) rumours and allow the court to do its work,” he said.
Sothinathan, who got the ball rolling when he lodged a police report on missing MIED files, is also prepared to be called in to testify at
“I would give my fullest cooperation,” he said.
On the other hand, MIC Youth adviser S Vell Paari was unfazed about being summoned to take the stand as speculated by Tamil dailies.
“This would not be the first time that I am asked to come to court, and I am sure it would not be the last either,” he quipped. “So I am prepared.”
Vell Paari, who is Samy Vellu's son, told FMT that
“Everybody tried to paint a different picture. The whole thing was made to look in a way to damage MIC and MIED. This (
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