File photo of a Mercedes S350. Abdullah Sani claimed that the brakes of a similar model of the car had been tampered with.
Abdullah Sani Said, the 51-year-old driver who has worked with Anwar for 28 years since the latter was still the deputy prime minister, lodged a police report on the incident at the Tropicana police station outside the party’s national headquarters here this evening.
Abdullah Sani said he made the discovery on April 19 following an incident on his journey back to Kuala Lumpur from Perak in the Mercedes Benz S350 with the number plate KCD 77 which, he said, was on loan to Anwar from a close friend.
At the time, said Abdullah Sani, he and another aide, Mohd Nurol Sayah, had just ferried Anwar’s wife Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Faekah Husin, the political secretary to the Selangor mentri besar, to a PKR programme in Chemor, just outside Ipoh.
“On our journey back to KL via the North-South Expressway at about 1pm, before the exit to Sungkai near the 353km, a lorry suddenly cut into the right lane and forced me to jam on my brakes,” he said in the report.
He said the moment he applied the brakes, the Mercedes S350 began to vibrate violently.
“I heard the sound of something shattering at the back.
“Suddenly, the back tyres of the car felt like they were locked. This forced me to try my best to navigate the car towards the road shoulder,” he said.
He said he saw swerve marks and broken pieces of the car’s brake disc on the road.
He said he called for a tow truck and the vehicle was taken to the RCY Benz workshop in Glenmarie, Shah Alam for inspection.
At the workshop, Abdullah Sani said he was told by the mechanic that the back brake disc of the car was missing a “pin bolt” that is used to support the “brake caliper”.
“I was also told that it was impossible for the bolt to be detached without being tampered with,” he said.
He said that based on the mechanic’s explanation, it was clear that “certain parties” had deliberately tampered with Anwar’s car with the intention to “hurt or murder” the opposition leader or his family members.
“And on advice from the mechanic, this shows that there were elements of sabotage here, seeing as this vehicle is often used by Anwar,” he said.
He said he feared for his safety and that of his boss, adding that he hoped the police would initiate investigations immediately.
Abdullah Sani’s report was also accompanied by a signed diagnosis of the incident by Azman Hassan, the mechanic from the workshop.
In his declaration, Azman confirmed that it was “impossible” for the “pin bolt” to detach on its own without being tampered with.
“I found that the source of the incident was because of the one missing pin bolt which attaches the brake caliper.
“For your information, there should be two pin bolts. It was because of this missing one that caused the entire back right braking system of the car to be destroyed.
“In my experience as a mechanic for the past 10 years and specialising in repairs on Mercedes Benzes for the past seven years, it is impossible for the pin bolt to detach on its own,” he said.
Outside the police station later, lawyer Murni Hidayah Anuar, who accompanied Abdullah Sani, told reporters that the report was lodged nearly one month after the incident as they were awaiting the result of the mechanic’s investigation.
Abdullah Sani also said he last checked the car’s brakes last October and had not discovered any faults with the vehicle.
He noted that during the function in Chemor, Anwar’s car had been surrounded by many people but doubted if they could have so quickly tampered with the brakes.
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