SHAH ALAM: Private investigator P Balasubramaniam, whose two statutory declarations have caused ripples in the Altantuya Shaariibuu case, will meet with representatives from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) next Monday at Holiday Villa in London’s Baywaters district.
According to his counsel, Americk Sidhu, Bala will be be giving his statement involving the murder of Shaariibuu, a Mongolian model-cum-translator.
“We are scheduled to meet with MACC officials at 10am at Holiday Villas in Leinster Gardens, Baywaters next Monday.
“As requested by MACC, Bala will bring along the documents linked to the investigations,” Americk said.
As late as Friday last week, Bala had refused to meet with MACC after the commission imposed restrictions on his lawyers.
Americk said MACC investigating officer Abdul Rahman Bachok had said in an e-mail dated June 21 that the commission would not allow Bala’s lawyers to be present at the questioning.
But Americk disagreed with the conditions imposed, stating that Bala had a right under the constitution to have his lawyers present during investigations and that “that right over-rules any protocol instituted by MACC”.
Last Saturday, Americk was taken by surprise when MACC investigations director Mustafar Ali reportedly said that three officers from the commission’s nvestigations department would go to London to record Bala’s statements.
Mustafar reminded Bala to bring all his documents.
“We’ll be there, now that Mustafar has been magnanimous in allowing the presence of (Bala) lawyers during the questioning as was reported in the Star on June 26,” said Americk.
RM5 million offered
Balasubramaniam created controversy on July 3, 2008, when he distributed a sworn deposition in connection with Altantuya’s murder.
His statement alleged links between Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s close friend Abdul Razak Baginda and the deceased.
The next day, the private investigator retracted his statutory declaration and subsequently left the country with his family.
On Oct 27 last year, in the presence of three prominent lawyers, Balasubramian came out of hiding and reaffirmed that his first statutory declaration was true and that he was offered RM5 million to retract it.
In the no-holds-barred interview, he named businessmen Deepak -- who is said to be an associate of Rosmah Mansor, the prime minister's wife -- as the person who met him at a Rawang restaurant and made the cash offer.
He also claimed that Najib’s brother Nazim offered him RM5 million to retract the first statutory declaration, a charge which the prime minister has rubbished.
MACC had already recorded statements from Nazim and Deepak.
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