Justice For ALTANTUYA

[kensington]

RPK : Bala to speak to reporters TODAY !


(Harakahdaily) - Fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin said private investigator P. Balasubramaniam, whose explosive statutory declaration alleged that prime minister Najib Razak had an affair with murdered Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu, would be giving a media conference in London tomorrow (11.00am at the Holiday Villa).

"He and his lawyers will be giving a press conference in London to talk about the two Statutory Declarations that he signed and his role in the Altantuya matter," Petra told Harakahdaily today.

On his own statutory declaration in April 2008, Petra explained that it was not an allegation but merely quoted his sources who had made damning claims.

Among others, Petra said he had been informed by "the number two in the Military Intelligence" that the prime minister's wife Rosmah Mansor was present at the murder scene where Altantuya was killed and her body exploded.

"When I was detained under the Internal Security Act in September 2008, I told the Special Branch how I obtained that information and who gave me that information that I had signed in my Statutory Declaration in April 2008."

"The Special Branch admitted that they know that person in question. However, he was never hauled up or questioned about what he told me," he said.

Petra said while Najib's involvement was not proven, there had been no attempt to clear his name.

"Nevertheless, the Prime Minister must be above suspicion. And in Najib’s case this is not so."

The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen...

 

[kensington]

PI Bala: Razak Baginda is innocent

LONDON, July 7 – Private detective P. Balasubramaniam today dropped a bombshell by insisting that his former client Abdul Razak Baginda was not involved in the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shariibuu.

Although Abdul Razak, a close associate of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, was acquitted of the crime, certain quarters, especially those in the opposition, continue to assert that he is culpable.

P. Balasubramaniam and his three lawyers (from left), Amarjit Sidhu, Americk Sidhu and Manjeet Singh Dhillon, giving a press conference in the Holiday Villa, London


“As far as I am concerned, Razak is a scapegoat. He has got nothing to do with the murder,” said the former Special Branch detective of his then client.

Balasubramaniam, who has been living in India since releasing statutory declarations on the murder, reasoned that there was no reason for Abdul Razak, on the night of Oct 19, 2006, to hire him until Oct 26, 2006, if he knew that Shariibuu would be murdered that night.

“Yes, he was financing her and he had a relationship with her, but as far as I am concerned, he is innocent. In fact, my testimony in court saved him,” he added.

Balasubramaniam had first released a statutory declaration in 2008 that detailed various links to Najib including the three officers who were part of the then deputy prime minister’s security detail having picked up Shariibuu on the night of her death – two of whom, chief inspector Azilah Hadri and corporal Sirul Azhar Umar were sentenced to death for the crime.

Although, he then released a second declaration the next day removing all links to Najib, he has since gone on record stating that he did so under duress and was offered RM5 million to change his stance by Najib’s brother, Datuk Mohamed Nazim Razak.

He has also identified another man who drove past Abdul Razak’s house on the night of the murder as Datuk Nasir Safar, an aide of Najib’s who has since been sacked after he made derogatory remarks about Malaysian Chinese and Indians in a public event.

Nasir Safar


In a press conference here today, Balasubramaniam and his lawyers expressed disappointment that an interview with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) scheduled for the past two days had been cancelled as they were eager to stress the “conspiracy web” that seemed to centre on Najib.

“What we had intended, if MACC had turned up, was for Bala to highlight the series of events in that are a conspiracy web at the highest level to keep out references to Najib,” said Manjeet Singh Dhillon.

“Why did they miss a golden opportunity? Because it is dangerous to people who hold the reins of power,” said Americk Sidhu.

They stressed that they have never stated that Balasubramaniam would not appear in court, so long as the right person was being tried. As such, the reason given by MACC, on the advice of the Attorney-General’s office, that a statement recorded overseas was not useful, was flimsy.

“Never in theory nor practice, do you make that decision beforehand. You collect all statements and investigate and then you decide on witnesses,” said Manjeet.

Balasubramaniam also confirmed that he would be recording his statement in Paris on Monday to French authorities who are investigating the possibility of unlawful practices with regards to commissions paid – alleged to be RM500 million – in the purchase of Scorpene submarines by the Malaysian government.

Shariibuu’s alleged involvement in the deal is as a translator, for which she demanded US$500,000 for her services.

Balasubramaniam also added that even though he has been given up to RM750,000 by Deepak Jaikrishnan, a carpet dealer who is said to be a close associate of Najib’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, he has been surviving in India on his own funds.

“I am from South India. My father left me and his two daughters property there after he passed away. I am self-sufficient,” he said to dispel reports that he has been funded by opposition figures.

http://www.malaysia-today.net/index...ocent&catid=19:newscommentaries&Itemid=100131

 

[kensington]

What the PI Bala PC revealed, but was not reported by the media

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Americk kicked off the press conference by telling the assembly that this whole thing started when the PKR Youth leader, Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, lodged a report with Malaysia’s Anti-Corruption Commission or MACC soon after private investigator P. Balasubramaniam’s video interview was released on Youtube (see below).

MACC’s response to Shamsul Iskandar’s report was that they would like to meet Bala to record his statement. However, MACC does not know how to get in touch with Bala so they would like to seek the assistance of Shamsul Iskandar in contacting him (Bala).

On reading this statement by MACC, Americk sent MACC an e-mail to inform them that he is the lawyer acting on behalf of Bala and if they need to meet him (Bala) to record his statement then he (Americk) would help arrange it.

MACC replied by saying that they are not prepared to deal though an ‘unofficial’ e-mail and that all communications must be by way of official letter only. Americk then wrote an official letter offering to arrange the meeting between Bala and MACC so that they could record his statement.

Many months were spent haggling over the venue, date and terms of the meeting. Finally, after ding-donging to-and-fro, it was agreed that the meeting between Bala and MACC would be held in the Holiday Villa in London on the 5th and 6th July 2010. MACC said that they would like to make the arrangements for the meeting room in the Holiday Villa London.

However, no booking was made for any meeting room in the Holiday Villa London. Americk then wrote to the Holiday Villa to make the booking on behalf of the MACC and he also told the MACC this. Meanwhile, the lawyers and Bala had already made flight arrangements and hotel bookings so that they could be present in London at least a couple of days before the meeting with MACC on 5th July.

On Thursday, MACC sent Americk an e-mail saying that they would not be coming after all. This was after they had confirmed they would be coming. In fact, they even told the mainstream media that not only would three officers be sent to London but that Bala’s lawyers could be present in the meeting as well.

The problem was, by then, most had already arrived in London and those who were yet to arrive were already in the plane on the way to London. And the reason MACC gave for aborting the meeting was that they could not record a witness’s statement outside Malaysia, as it would not be admissible in court.

As what Manjeet told the assembly, not only is this not true, but in fact there is a provision in the Act that specifically states MACC can record statements of witnesses outside Malaysia. Furthermore, MACC would have surely done their research before asking to meet Bala, knowing that the meeting was going to be held outside Malaysia.

Bala’s lawyers could not accept this excuse as a legitimate reason for aborting the meeting. What MACC said is not true. In fact, it is opposite to what MACC said. And did not MACC go to a few countries to record statements of witnesses in the Eric Chia-Perwaja corruption case? Furthermore, added Manjeet, MACC is assuming that Bala would not be prepared to go back to Malaysia to testify in court had the need arisen.

If MACC takes action and charges the ‘right persons’ in court, said Manjeet, certainly Bala would be prepared to testify in court as to what he told MACC on the 5th and 6th July 2010. He would stand by his story and testify in court to support what he told MACC in his meeting with them in London.

Bala’s lawyers are of the opinion that MACC has missed a golden opportunity to get to the bottom of the Statutory Declaration that he signed and the ‘u-turn’ he did barely a day later in what has now been dubbed as SD1 and SD2.

When Bala signed his first SD, it took him two months to prepare it. The following day he held a press conference to inform the world about this SD. Less than 24 hours later, he signed a second SD that contradicted what he had said in his first SD. A few hours later, he and his family disappeared. His nephew subsequently made a police report about the disappearance of Bala and his entire family.

And this was supposed to be the focus of MACC’s meeting with Bala on the 5th and 6th July 2010. MACC was not interested in the Altantuya murder or who may be behind the murder or whether she was having an affair with certain Malaysian personalities or about bribery involving the purchase of submarines or whatever. MACC wanted clarification from Bala as to his allegation that immediately after signing the first SD he was paid money to come out with a second SD to contradict his first SD.

So it was a very specific issue. It was to focus merely on the allegation that after he signed his first SD some parties paid him money to sign a second SD to contradict his first SD. This was merely an investigation into a crime of corruption committed by certain individuals.

Actually, under Malaysian law, corruption is more than just about money. If you can remember, Anwar Ibrahim was arrested, charged, put on trial and found guilty of corruption although it did not involve any money. His so-called ‘corrupt act’ was in allegedly abusing his power to get a witness to withdraw a certain allegation against him.

Therefore, in Bala’s case, whether money was involved or not is one issue. Even if no money was involved and even if only what the guilty parties did was to persuade, cajole, threaten, etc., Bala to sign the SD2 to cancel the SD1, that would also be corruption. And in Bala’s case they used threats plus money to force him to sign the SD2 so that the SD1 could be ‘neutralised’.

Of course, MACC’s focus should have been wider than that. But even if they narrowed the focus to Bala’s allegation that after he signed SD1 certain parties abused their power to threaten him and bribe him to sign the SD2, that in itself would be a good start. And we must remember, Bala alleged that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s brother together with Deepak Jaikishan, Rosmah’s business partner, were the two parties who threatened and bribed him. And, to assure Bala that this came from the highest office in the land, they offered to arrange breakfast between Bala and Rosmah Mansor, the Prime Minister’s wife, now given the official title of First Lady of Malaysia, although she is actually Najib’s second rather than first wife.

Bala said he was promised RM5 million but received only RM750,000. And to support this allegation he had prepared copies of his bank statement, pay-in slips, etc., which he was going to hand over to MACC on 5th-6th July. None of the members of the media who attended the press conference on 7th July 2010 asked to see these copies. I would have imagined they would have all been curious to see whether Bala’s allegation that Deepak Jaikishan had paid him RM750,000 could be proven or not.

I saw the copies of these documents and what I saw certainly supports the allegation that Deepak had paid Bala RM750,000. The dates and amounts reconcile with what Bala alleges. No one else, however, was concerned with the evidence. And considering that MACC’s focus and the statement they wanted to record from Bala centers on the allegation that he was bribed plus threatened to sign the SD2 to cancel the SD1, then the key to the entire issue would be whether Bala has any evidence that Deepak paid him RM750,000 and if he did then for what purpose and on whose instructions.

Everyone shouts about wanting to see the ‘smoking gun’. They want to see hard evidence that there is more than meets the eye and that the two police officers found guilty of Altantuya’s murder had acted on instructions from certain forces in the corridors of power. This smoking gun does exist. But it does not exist in the literal sense. It exists in the form of certain evidence and documents that all leads to the door of those who walk in the corridors of power.

It is unfortunate that MACC called off the meeting which, as Americk said, was a golden opportunity for them to get to the truth. It was equally unfortunate that the media did not demand that Bala prove his allegation that he was threatened and bribed into signing his SD2 with the purpose of contradicting his SD1. He did have the proof. But, somehow, no one wanted to look at it.

Americk told the assembly that MACC cancelled the meeting by sending him an e-mail. At the beginning of this whole thing, MACC had said that they do not deal through e-mails. All communications must be by way of letter to make it official. If by e-mail then at best the communication would be regarded as unofficial.

But then, when MACC cancelled the meeting, they did not send any letter. They sent Americk an e-mail. By MACC’s own standards, this would make the cancellation of the meeting as unofficial. Why did MACC not dare send Americk a letter to officially cancel the meeting? Why unofficially cancel it by sending an e-mail?

This was one more point raised by Americk. MACC had always demanded that all communications must be in writing and must be by way of official letter. Then, when they cancel the meeting, no longer need it be official and by way of letter. A simple and ‘unofficial’ e-mail would do just fine.

After cancelling the meeting, MACC sends Americk a letter asking that Bala reply to a few questions. The letter is marked RAHSIA, which means it can’t be revealed to the public.

Now, there are two things wrong here. First, if Bala’s statement can’t be recorded outside Malaysia because, as the MACC said, it would not be valid, how then can Bala’s reply to their questions be valid since he is replying also from outside Malaysia? Whether the MACC officers come personally to London to meet Bala to record his statement or whether they send a letter to London with a list of questions for him to reply to, would not the same thing apply -- that is, both are done outside Malaysia (in London)?

Secondly, the letter is marked RAHSIA. That means if you are in possession of a copy of this letter in Malaysia then you are guilty of a crime. But since MACC sent his letter to London and since, in the UK, Malaysia’s laws do not apply, then there is nothing to stop Bala or his lawyers from circulating copies to the media.

Furthermore, only the letter is marked RAHSIA. Bala’s reply to the questions in the letter is not marked RAHSIA. So there is nothing to stop the media from publishing Bala’s replies even though they may not be prepared to publish the questions lest they fall foul of the Malaysian government.

Americk told the assembly that he is halfway through preparing Bala’s replies and he held it up for everyone to see. No one asked to be allowed to look at it though. They did not appear interested to know what MACC was asking and what Bala’s replies to these questions are.

Bala and his three lawyers said many other things during the press conference. Some were just reiterating what he had already said before and some were new information. The new information that could be considered interesting is that not only are the two police officers who murdered Altantuya linked to the Prime Minister’s office, but in addition to Musa Safri, Najib’s ADC, we now have Nasir Safar, Najib’s personal assistant, who was at the scene when they picked up Altantuya in front of Razak Baginda’s house.

The point Manjeet was making is that it now looks like all those who are somehow involved in Altantuya’s murder work for Najib. We have his police bodyguards, his ADC, his personal assistant, and his best friend and adviser. Can it be mere coincidental that all these five people who are linked to Altantuya’s murder all work for Najib?

Bala’s lawyers also pointed out that the police detained Bala for 14 days under a section of the law that is used for those suspected of murder. This means Bala was a murder suspect and was being remanded for a murder investigation.

However, earlier, the Attorney General announced that only three people are involved. So, if Bala was being remanded for suspicion of murder then it can’t be only three people who are involved because Bala would be the fourth person.

Why announce that only three people were involved in Altantuya’s murder and then detain Bala for suspicion of murder? Was this to frighten Bala so that he would cooperate and agree to whatever the police wanted?

Bala’s lawyers told the assembly that the police recorded Bala’s statement no less than five times. They took five statements from Bala over the period of the investigation. The police then edited Bala’s statement and made him sign the edited statement.

This is illegal. The police are not supposed to edit your statement. Worse, they are not supposed to force you to sign a statement that the police drafted and which is not what you actually said.

But Bala was facing a charge of murder. At least that was what he was being remanded under. So, if he wants to be set free and allowed to go home then he has to agree into signing this edited statement although that was not his statement but what the police conjured.

When Bala signed his first SD, it was consistent to his statement to the police. In other words, what he signed in his SD1 is exactly what he had told the police. The police already knew what Bala had signed in his SD1 because Bala had already told them exactly the same thing.

This was just some of what was revealed in the press conference yesterday and which the newspapers and online portals do not seem to want to report. Why they would rather keep silent on all these issues and instead just report that Bala said Razak Baginda is not guilty of murder is beyond me. For all intents and purposes, that was merely Bala’s personal view or suspicion and was not what the press conference was all about.

The main focus of the press conference is that Bala was prepared to have his statement recorded by MACC, and that he would have offered them evidence that what he signed in his SD1 is true, and that this is exactly what he had told the police, and that he was threatened and bribed into signing the SD2, and that he can support this allegation with documents.

This was lost to the media people who attended the press conference yesterday.

The PI Bala interview on Youtube

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXX0l1V_Ms4

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZdiTk48400

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tVzHDuyzyE


http://www.malaysia-today.net/index...catid=22:the-corridors-of-power&Itemid=100085

 

[kensington]

The whirlwind journey of PI Bala​

As for his expenses, Balasubramaniam said he has been living with RM750,000 in funds he received from Deepak for over a year since July 2008. "I flew here (London) with Deepak's money," he said.

Danny Lim, Malaysiakini


On July 7, 2008, private eye P Balasubramaniam marked his wedding anniversary as he was interviewed by police officers for about six to seven hours at the Malaysian embassy in Bangkok.

Last Tuesday, he celebrated his anniversary, this time being interviewed at a press conference in the United Kingdom capital London, this time under far more relaxed circumstances. The supporting cast and the location may have changed, but the focus remained the same.

Yet what has often been relegated to a footnote has been the tribulations of the man himself.

"Everybody's focusing on the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu and who's behind it," said Balasubramaniam's lawyer, Americk Sidhu.

"There's another issue here which is equally important, and that is the way Balasubramaniam was treated after he released his first statutory declaration on the July 3, 2008. He was immediately apprehended, bribed, cajoled, threatened and removed from Malaysia."

The video of Balasubramaniam's interview in Singapore last November, conducted by three of his lawyers, gave lengthy details about his experience starting from July 3, 2008.

Among the chilling allegations made by Balasubramaniam were the words said to him by Nazim Abdul Razak, a younger brother of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, during a meeting near The Curve in Damansara on the night after he released his first statutory declaration (SD): "If you love your family, just follow what Deepak (Jaikishan) tells you to do."

This kicked off a whirlwind journey for Balasubramaniam that had him hurriedly retracting his first SD with a second SD, his children getting new passports, a van shipping him and his family straight to Singapore's Changi Airport where he boarded a plane to Bangkok - all within 24 hours.

Expenses paid by businessman

After the interview by, oddly enough, commercial crime police officers, he flew to Kathmandu with his family, then to New Delhi and finally settling in Chennai, India, where he stayed for over a year. His expenses were said to be funded by the shadowy and politically well-connected businessman, Deepak Jaikishan.

Balasubramaniam now believes that the likelihood of him returning to Malaysia is slim.

"If I go back to Malaysia, I'll have a room in Kamunting waiting for me," he said. "I can't go back. They will silence me, or they will put me in Kamunting for nine to 10 years."

Balasubramaniam feels his only hope for a return to the normal life he enjoyed back home is with a change in government. "I don't want these corrupt Umnoputras to be in Malaysia. I need the government to change."

In the Singapore interview, Balasubramaniam claimed that "Deepak said I can come back to Malaysia after Najib becomes PM." This became untenable when Balasubramaniam insisted he wanted the truth of his testimony as a witness in the Altantuya murder case to be revealed.

Back in Malaysia

How he and his family emerged from an imposed silence in Chennai to a public (and globe-trotting) reaffirmation of his first SD depended on one moment of providence.

"The turning point was Deepak giving me back my passport (in February 2009)," Balasubramaniam told Malaysiakini after Tuesday's press conference in London.

As his visa in India had expired, Balasubramaniam threatened to kick a fuss at the Malaysian High Commission in India. Deepak relented, and with his passport in hand, Balasubramaniam had a plan in mind.

On July 19, 2009, he called Americk, who was in Wales, UK, at the time. On Americk's advice, Balasubramaniam went to Kuala Lumpur on July 28 to meet the lawyer.

This he achieved through a long route - flying from Chennai to Bangkok and then to Hat Yai. From there, motorbike ride took him through Bukit Kayu Hitam, one of Malaysia's many notoriously porous northern border checkpoints, where one can zip through without immigration scrutiny.

He made his way to Kuala Lumpur where he called Dinesh Jaikishan, brother of Deepak, to say that he was in Malaysia purely to meet his family, who had returned home earlier.

Balasubramaniam's tactic here in being open about his visit was as a way to assure the Jaikishan brothers that he did not have any ulterior motive. He spent 10 days in Kuala Lumpur, conferring with Americk before returning to Chennai through the same route he had used to get to Kuala Lumpur.

Stopped at KLIA

In October 2009, Balasubramaniam came back to Malaysia again, this time with the intention of taking his family to Chennai. On the advice of Americk, he flew straight to KL International Airport (KLIA), because he wanted to "test" if his passport would be flagged. It was.

"SB (Special Branch) officers came running towards me," said Balasubramaniam. "They took me to their office (at KLIA). I thought they would put me in Kamunting." But he made a call to Deepak, and when the Special Branch officers called their superiors, they were told to let him go.

After about another 10 days in Kuala Lumpur, Balasubramaniam left Malaysia for India. His family followed him on another flight a few days later.

While he admits that the danger of being 'silenced' is ever present, Balasubramaniam feels safe in Chennai where, his lawyers joke, "half the people there look like him". But he rubbishes claims he is in hiding. "I don't consider myself as a fugitive. What wrong have I done?"

As for his expenses, Balasubramaniam said he has been living with RM750,000 in funds he received from Deepak for over a year since July 2008. "I flew here (London) with Deepak's money," he said.

The cost of holding the press conference and his hotel stay was paid for by donations from supporters. Americk said there wasn't one single personality or party financing the London exercise.

Balasubramaniam insists that his actions, immediately after he issued the first SD, were guided by a concern for his family. "I can't be bought," he said.

Now that he feels more assured about the safety of his family, Balasubramaniam is motivated by another concern: "I want the truth to come out... MACC not turning up shows that it does not want the truth to prevail."

DANNY LIM is a freelance writer and photographer currently based in the UK.

http://malaysia-today.net/index.php...-bala&catid=17:guest-columnists&Itemid=100130

 

[kensington]

All eyes on Paris: Bala can help speed up Scorpenes probe


With the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission failing to show up and the London press conference over, private investigator P Balasubramaniam will be making his way to Paris, where he is due to tell French authorities all he knows about Prime Minister Najib Razak’s acquisition of two costly Scorpene submarines.

In Paris, he will be meeting the French investigating team on Monday. They have indicated to Malaysian civil rights grroup SUARAM their focus will be on procurement procedures and the information Bala has on the roles played by his boss Razak Baginda and Najib, who was then the defense minister sanctioning the RM6.7 billion purchase from French firm DCNS.

“We are quite optimistic that Bala can help to move things a step closer to the truth. Because of the special position he was in, he may possess a few missing pieces of the puzzle and that will help to quicken the entire process,” SUARAM director Cynthia Gabriel told Malaysia Chronicle.

“It is very important that the probe moves as quickly as possible because it is a multi-tiered process. Once police investigations are complete, it will go back to the prosecutors and then possibly trial. But most importantly, we would stress, is that the French authorities make public all of the findings as soon as they can.”

SUARAM earlier this year lodged a complaint with the Parisian authorities after the Najib administration repeatedly refused to initiate a thorough investigation, despite public outcry over an alleged RM570 million kickback from DCNS.

This amount was booked by the defense ministry as co-ordination and support fees to a firm controlled by Baginda, who is a close friend of the Malaysian PM and his wife Rosmah Mansor. Baginda’s firm, Perimekar, has no record of any previous experience or expertise in submarines care or technology. Both Scorpenes have since been delivered, but one has serious malfunctions and still cannot dive.

Scapegoat but for whom?

As in the case of Taiwan, which also suffered corruption in deals struck with certain French defense firms, there was also a murder in the Malaysian acquisition.

A Mongolian translator, Altantuya Shaariibuu, was shot in the head and her body blown up with C4 explosives in a jungle clearing in Malaysia in 2006. Two former bodyguards of Najib’s and Rosmah’s have been sentenced to hang for her killing, but both men never met her until the night of her murder. This sparked intense speculation that there were master-minds involved. Razak Baginda was also charged for abetting the bodyguards, but he was acquitted in 2008.

In London on Wednesday, Bala agreed that his former boss was not involved in the murder, but was merely a scapegoat. But he did not say, scapegoat for whom?

“As far as I am concerned, Razak is a scapegoat. He has got nothing to do with the murder,” Bala, a former Special Branch detective, told the press conference on Wednesday.

“Yes, he (Baginda) was financing her and he had a relationship with her, but as far as I am concerned, he is innocent. In fact, my testimony in court saved him."

No smoke without fire

All eyes are now on Monday’s meeting with the French authorities. Malaysians hold little hope that their own government will do anything to revive investigations in either the murder or the graft case.

In fact, the MACC – which answers directly to Najib - was ordered to reverse an earlier decision to record a statement from Bala in London.

Najib himself has kept quiet on the issue despite public jeering at why he did not insist on an all-out investigation to clear his name.

“As the saying goes, there’s no smoke without fire. Najib and Rosmah have been implicated in very serious allegations – not just corruption but also murder. It is incomprehensible that they do not want to clear their names,” PAS legal adviser Hanipa Maidin told Malaysia Chronicle.

Related Story:

SEE HOW MONEY IS WASTED! Scorpene docked again - out of action as problems come back...

http://malaysia-today.net/index.php...probe&catid=19:newscommentaries&Itemid=100131
http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/2010/07/all-eyes-on-paris-where-bala-can-help.html

 

[kensington]

More Qs than As at Bala PC:
Who was Baginda a scapegoat for?


Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

The London press conference held by private investigator P Balasubramaniam has raised more questions than it had sought to answer, due largely to the conspicuous absence of Malaysian graft buster MACC and a media, perhaps cowed by a barrage of heavy-handed actions and veiled threats unleashed by Prime Minister Najib Razak in a bid to control negative publicity.

Yet, despite the Najib administration's mala fide, Bala’s credibility as a witness did not waver and his willingness to help investigations into the brutal murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu and her role in a submarines corruption case was accepted with good faith by those attending the presser and those back home in Malaysia who followed the event on the Internet.

Bala, a former Special Branch detective, was steady in his testimony and did not give in to sensationalism or embellishment. He held onto to the points he made in his first statutory declaration in 2008, offered some new information and sought to clarify lingering doubts.

In the process, he made several new and rather startling revelations. The most significant was that the man who hired him, Razak Baginda, was merely a scapegoat and deserved to be acquitted from the charges of having abetted two former bodyguards of Najib’s and his wife Rosmah’s in the Altantuya murder.

“As far as I am concerned, Razak is a scapegoat. He has got nothing to do with the murder,” said Bala. “Yes, he was financing her and he had a relationship with her, but as far as I am concerned, he is innocent. In fact, my testimony in court saved him.”

Why is it that all 5 people linked to the murder work for Najib?

A close friend of the PM's, Baginda's firm was given a controversial RM570 million side-deal in the Najib-sanctioned purchase of two Scorpene submarines in 2002.

But if Baginda was not involved, then who was? Frankly, this may seem like a silly question because a quick survey will show that many Malaysians and foreigners who have been following the case already share the same opinion – whether or not Najib and Rosmah like to hear it, defamatory or not.

And this is why Najib, his cousin the Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and the police went all out in the days preceding the presser to let it be known that they were willing and ready to launch a crackdown on the media including bloggers in cyberspace if they did not toe the line. Najib also forbade the MACC to go to London to record Bala's statement even though he can shed crucial light on the case.

“Bala and his three lawyers said many other things during the press conference. Some were just reiterating what he had already said before and some were new information. The new information that could be considered interesting is that not only are the two police officers who murdered Altantuya linked to the Prime Minister’s office, but in addition to Musa Safri, Najib’s ADC, we now have Nasir Safar, Najib’s personal assistant, who was at the scene when they picked up Altantuya in front of Razak Baginda’s house,” wrote top blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin in his Malaysia Today website.

“The point Manjeet (Bala’s lawyer) was making is that it now looks like all those who are somehow involved in Altantuya’s murder work for Najib. We have his police bodyguards, his ADC, his personal assistant, and his best friend and adviser. Can it be mere coincidental that all these five people who are linked to Altantuya’s murder all work for Najib?”

Scapegoats, but for whom?

The questions that Bala's London thriller-presser provoked are in the same vein as those that reverberated nationwide following the pronouncement of the death sentence on the first couple’s bodyguards. Were there masterminds involved and who ordered the killing?

The two special squad police officers, who had never met Altantuya until the night of her death, were found guilty of shooting her in the head and then bombing her body with C4 explosives to prevent identification – perhaps also to hide the fact that she was pregnant as reported by French newspaper La Liberation.

So the cruelty and oppression remains in Malaysia. Unsurprisingly then that a survey released by the Merdeka Centre on Friday showed that 66 percent of its people felt that they were powerless and unable to effect positive change in their own country.

Perhaps, this was how some of the Malaysian media must have felt on Wednesday, the day their bosses probably told them it was better not to ask too many questions or to probe too deeply. The answers that they get may be too 'hot' for them to write out and publish.

Still, we must not allow depression to settle because the fight for democracy is a long journey and a tough one.

On Monday, another battle front opens up in Paris, where Bala will tell all he knows to a French investigating team. Thanks to civil rights group SUARAM, which lodged a complaint on behalf of Malaysian taxpayers, the French authorities are probing allegations of corruption in the submarines deal that Najib inked with French defense firm DCNS.

SUARAM tells Malaysia Chronicle it is optimistic that Bala can help speed up probe and also hopes that the French authorities will display greater professionalism than has been shown by their Malaysian counterparts so far. The NGO also urged the French prosecutors to make public their findings even though it may implicate big-name politicians both in their own country and in Malaysia.

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/2010/07/more-qs-than-as-at-bala-pc-who-was.html

 

[kensington]

Late night arrest over Altantunya blog posting

By Zefry Dahalan

REMBAU: Fifteen policemen swooped in and arrested PKR supreme council member Badrul Hisham Shaharin last night over a posting in his blog in relation to the mysterious murder of Mongolian Altantunya Shaariibuu in 2006.

Badrul Hisham, who is also popularly known as CheGu Bard

It was understood that Badrul Hisham, who is also popularly known as CheGu Bard, was about to convene his Rembau division meeting when he was arrested at 9pm last night.

He was immediately taken to the police headquarters in Seremban for questioning.

Meanwhile, his house in Bukit Chedang in Seremban was also ransacked by police.

He was released at midnight on bail after police took down his statement.

It was learnt that police detained Badrul Hisham over the content of his blog posting and ceramah regarding the murder of Altantuya.

Badrul Hisham, who is also the author of “DiSebalik Misteri Pembunuhan Altantunya”, is being investigated under the Sedition Act.

Late last month, he had in his posting openly wondered if Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had been “coerced” by Singapore’s secret service into agreeing to the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) land swap deal.

He had speculated that the Singapore’s secret service may have used photographs of Altantuya with Najib to threaten the premier into sealing a lopsided deal over the KTMB Tanjung Pagar issue.

Badrul Hisham said his suspicions were based on private investigator P Balasubramaniam’s statutory declaration on July 1, 2008, in which he stated that Najib was introduced to Altantunya, who was also known as “Aminah”, by his political adviser Abdul Razak Baginda at a diamond exhibition in Singapore.

'I didn't insult royalty'

Meanwhile, a source close to him said Badrul Hisham had not discounted the possibility that the arrest was instigated by a relative of Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Mohamad Hasan, who is also an Umno Youth member, over another earlier blog posting titled “Warkah Terbuka Kepada DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Di Pertuan Agong :'hepi besday, sir!”

The posting on June 10 touched on the roles and responsibility of the royal institution towards the rakyat.

Meanwhile, when met by FMT after he was released, CheguBard denied that he has insulted the royalty.

"There is no such thing that I insulted the King and the Sultan of Johor. I have the highest respect for the Malay rulers. The article I wrote had nothing to do with the rulers,” he said.

He accused Umno of “purposely manipulating the article to exact political revenge on me as I have been very critical of Negri Sembilan Umno and its chief (Mohamad)”.
"I also believe this action against me is possibly due to political pressure from the Umno leadership relating to my visit to Indonesia recently,” he said.

CheguBard added that he was in Jakarta to attend a forum to discuss the content of his book “DiSebalik Misteri Pembunuhan Altantunya”. He was also there to attend a meeting of the Youth Non-Government Organisation of Indonesia and the Southeast Asia Youth round table conference.
He returned home yesterday.

“Anyway, I gave my fullest cooperation to the police and I'm aware they are just doing their duty,” he said.


http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fm...late-night-arrest-over-altantuya-blog-posting
http://www.malaysia-today.net/index...ting-&catid=19:newscommentaries&Itemid=100131

 

[kensington]

Scorpenes: Bala meets French investigators at 8pm M'sian time


Wong Choon Mei,
Malaysia Chronicle

Private investigator P Balasubramaniam will be the first key witness for the French police, despite a suspicious move by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission not to record his statement in London last week.

At 2pm Paris time or 8pm Malaysian time, a French investigating team will meet and interview Bala at the Direction Centrale de la Police (DNIF) in Nanterre Prefecture.

There, Bala, a former Malaysian Special Branch detective, will try his best to tell them as much as he knows about Prime Minister Najib Razak’s RM6.7 billion acquisition of two Scorpene submarines from French defense firm DCNS.

“The French police are interested to find out what Bala knows about the commission disbursement in the 2002 submarines deal. This is what I was told by Bala’s lawyers. He has agreed to see the French authorities and will co-operate fully,” PKR strategic director Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

“The question that we need to keep highlighting to Malaysians is why did our MACC back off from the London meeting at the last minute when everything had already been prepared? Were they scared to speak to Bala or were they afraid to hear what he has to say? Did Najib exert pressure on them to change their minds and why do they try to insinuate Bala is not reliable, but yet to the French, he is a key witness?

Information could incriminate Najib

Indeed, the MACC may have reason to fear Bala’s testimony. The private eye was privy to information disclosed to him by Najib’s close friend Razak Baginda.

It is actually the RM570 million co-ordination and support services contract that Najib granted a firm controlled by Baginda that is now at the heart of the French corruption probe, following a complaint lodged by Malaysian civil rights group SUARAM in Paris earlier this year.

Last month, French prosecutors in charge of the Malaysian file had ordered the police to raid DCNS. Their aim was to find out who were the beneficiaries of the kickbacks or commission that was allegedly paid. DCNS has a notorious record of bribing politicians and is currently also facing inquiries on Taiwanese and Pakistani arms purchases.

“When I was in Paris last month, I met many French lawyers and they say Malaysian taxpayers have a strong case. The French legal circle has their own grapevine and they know the key facts of our case. They believe that the kickbacks involve high-ranking politicians from both France and Malaysia,” Tian said.

If there is sufficient evidence, France may prosecute the wrongdoers although it may not have jurisdiction on the Malaysian personalities involved. Nevertheless, Tian and SUARAM have urged the French authorities to make public all their findings so that their Malaysian counterparts can take action at home. The Malaysian government or navy may also sue DCNS for recovery of the commission if the French courts find that it did violate the anti-corruption clause.

"Yes, there is worry that even if the French provide all the details, the Najib administration won't do anything but it is important for the record to stand so that future governments - whether BN or Pakatan Rakyat - can still pursue for the sake of transparency and justice," Tian said.

Blackout

The Malaysian government has slapped an unofficial blackout on the case, refusing to initiate any probe or to even divulge if it was true that the contracts signed with DCNS contained an anti-corruption clause that makes it illegal for DCNS to pay any commission or form of kickback.

SUARAM was forced to lodge a complaint with the French authorities after the Najib administration refused to heed public outrage over the deal and launch a full-scale investigation. Bala will be accompanied by his lawyer Manjit Singh Dhillon.

The submarines purchase is also linked to the murder of a Mongolian translator, Altantuya Shaariibuu, whom Bala has said in a statutory declaration made in 2008 had helped Baginda close the deal with DCNS.

He was hired by Baginda to stop her from blackmailing him for her US$500,000 share of commission. At a press conference in London last week, Bala said he was convinced Baginda was just a scapegoat and was not involved in Altantuya’s killing.

Bala has also implicated Najib, his wife Rosmah, Najib’s aide-de-camp Musa Safri and special aide Nasir Safar in the Altanutya case. Two former bodyguards of Najib’s and Rosmah’s have been sentenced to hang for the murder, but speculation remains rife as to who were the real masterminds. Neither of the two bodyguards had met Altantuya until the night she was killed. Both pleaded not guilty and say they were victims of a conspiracy but did not give further details.

“They may have held the gun but somebody else could have pulled the trigger,” PKR vice president Sivarasa Rasaiah told Malaysia Chronicle.

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/2010/07/scorpenes-bala-meets-french.html
http://www.malaysia-today.net/index...-time&catid=19:newscommentaries&Itemid=100131

 

[kensington]

Dr M joins attack on Anwar to deflect focus from Najib, French probe


Malaysia Chronicle

In a media blitz pundits say is to deflect attention from a French corruption probe involving Prime Minister Najib Razak, former premier Mahathir Mohamad is the latest Umno politician to attack Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, labeling him as being loyal to Jewish groups.

Over the weekend, nearly all the top Umno leaders including Najib, his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and even Information Minister Rais Yatim have called Anwar a traitor, urging Malaysians not to trust him.

Rais even accused Anwar of being a tool of U.S. secret service CIA. He based his view on a report by an obscure New York blogger Elaine Meinel Supkis entitled “CIA and Mossad want Anwar Ibrahim assassinated”.

Whilst Mahathir was responding to an article by Trevino Strategies and Media Inc president Joshua Trevino, who accused Anwar of hiring media contacts, particularly in CNN, to apologise to the Jewish community in the United States for the Pakatan Rakyat’s recent attack against Najib’s media firm APCO.

“If you are loyal to them, you cannot be loyal to Malaysia,” Bernama reported Mahathir as saying.

APCO, Najib and the French probe

The controversial APCO, which Anwar has revealed had links to the Israeli secret service, recently had its cushy contract renewed by Najib for at least another year, according to local news reports.

The international communications firm has advised Najib on his 1Malaysia platform and is trying hard to steer him away from the damaging negative publicity of the graft probe instituted by the French police into a submarines purchase from DCNS that Najib had sanctioned in 2002 when he was defense minister.

“All trails lead to APCO,” PKR Youth Chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin told Malaysia Chronicle.

“They are believed to be behind the recent reports by little-known people in the U.S. trying to damage Anwar’s image as a Muslim leader. The end goal is to deflect attention from the French probe, where all the details will soon emerge and the Malaysian government cannot ignore or say that it is just lies by the opposition. There is no escape for Najib anymore.”

Indeed, Malaysian private investigator P Balasubramaniam is due to have his statement recorded by the French police in Paris at 2pm (Malaysian time 8pm).

Bala was hired by Najib's friend Razak Baginda, whose firm was awarded a RM570 million contract that is now being scrutinized as a possible kickback to the Malaysian leader. The contract was for coordination and support services for the two submarines that have cost Malaysian taxpayers a total of RM6.7 billion.

The French police have said Bala will be their first key witness, although the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission last week suddenly U-turned from meeting him in London to record his statement.

 

[kensington]

French cops to question PI Bala

By Clara Chooi
July 12, 2010


KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — Private Investigator P. Balasubramaniam will be the first Malaysian witness in France’s probe to establish if there was corruption in the sale of French Scorpene submarines to Malaysia.

PKR MP Chua Tian Chang told reporters in Parliament today that Balasubramaniam had already arrived in Paris and will face the French police at their headquarters in the Nanterre prefecture at 2pm Paris time or 8pm Malaysian time tonight.

He confirmed that he had received information on the matter from Balasubramaniam’s lawyer Manjeet Singh Dhillon.

“I was informed that Bala was invited by the police for the interview, under instructions from the public prosecutor. He is the first Malaysian witness hauled up in the case,” Chua said.

He questioned why the local anti-corruption authorities, namely the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, had themselves shied away from interviewing Balasubramaniam recently when the foreign police found there was a need to do so.

“No doubt that the French police’s focus is not on the (murder of Mongolian model) Altantuya (Shaariibuu) but on the corruption in the sale of the submarines. But what I am disappointed in is that the MACC seems to think themselves more efficient than the French police.

“The quickly decided there was no need to interview Bala and instead, all they did was send him questions while the minister says there was no mismanagement in the Scorpene purchase so there was no need for MACC to investigate.

“But the French seem to take more care in this issue,” he said.

The MACC, which was initially scheduled to interview Balasubramaniam in London between July 5 and 7 this year, had decided against doing so and instead posed questions to the private investigator on his claims of a conspiracy in Altantuya’s murder.

MACC Deputy Chief Commissioner Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdull had said late last month that the agency had been advised by the Attorney-General’s Chambers against interviewing the private investigator in London.

MACC Legal Director Datuk Abdul Razak Musa said the validity of Balasubramaniam’s statement would not be recognised by local courts if it was recorded overseas.

The French authorities have opened a probe into the sale of the submarines following the request of Malaysian rights group Suaram, which alleges that French shipbuilder DCN had paid a commission of €114 million to a company called Perimekar.

Investigators suspect that the company, a subsidiary of KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd, controlled by Abdul Razak Baginda, a close aide to

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, had been formed in 2001 for the sole purpose of receiving kickback.

PAS MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar said the situation was an "embarrassment" on the Malaysian authorities for it clearly showed that the government had no intention to prove its own integrity.

"There should, at the very least, be an investigation to show we have integrity but unfortunately, it looks as if our French counterparts, who were the ones who sold the submarines to us, are more concerned with proving their innocence in the deal.

"They are eager to prove their integrity for they do not want any allegations made upon any of their agencies to state that they are linked to corruption," he said.

Mahfuz added that it was "odd" that the MACC appeared to be afraid of speaking directly with Balasubrmaniam in a face-to-face interview, for fear that his testimony may reveal incriminating information.

"The SPRM (MACC) is a 'suruhanjaya pondan rakyat malaysia'. Is this a signal that next time they want to investigate, they can just send their questions and we can respond to them via email?

"Then there is no need for incidences like (political aide) Teoh Beng Hock when he was interrogated and then he fell from the building. I think the MACC is afraid to face Bala," he said.

Balasubramaniam, the private investigator hired by Abdul Razak, who is also Altantuya's lover, has made many controversial allegations including linking Najib to Altantuya's murder.

Abdul Razak was charged with murder but was subsequently acquitted.

Balasubramaniam has also alleged that Najib, who was the one to lead the negotiations on the acquisition of the country's two Scorpene submarines in 2002, had also had an affair with Altantuya.

Chua also urged the government to set up a royal commission of inquiry into the Scorpene acquisition, pointing out that the government's spending of RM6.7 billion (€1.34 billion) for submarines that were dysfunctional was unnecessary and a waste of public funds.

Chua has also claimed that Malaysia had overpaid for the purchase of 40 SM 39 Exocet Block 2 missiles and 30 Black Shark torpedoes for the submarines.

The Defence Ministry had recently revealed to Parliament that it had spent a total of RM6.7 billion on the purchase of two Scorpene submarines.

In a written reply to Chua, the ministry stated that the acquisition was completed last year, during the 2009 LIMA exhibition.

The reply listed down the cost of the two submarines as well as the price of buying 40 SM-39 Block 2 torpedoes from France and 30 Black Shark torpedoes from Italy.

According to the ministry, the purchase of two Scorpene submarines cost €1.084 billion, while the cost of the submarine “support and test” equipment amounted to €37.5 million.

The total cost of the torpedoes amounted to €219.265 million.

http://malaysia-today.net/index.php...-bala&catid=19:newscommentaries&Itemid=100131

 

[kensington]

Bala surfaces in London and Paris

This case is just like the submarines purchased by Najib and Abdul Razak Baginda – they have a nasty habit of keeping afloat.


Mariam Mokhtar


WHEN something threatens to become public, and the people in power have no desire for you to know the details, an official investigation is arranged. This way, a good old-fashioned whitewash supported by selected facts is guaranteed. Meanwhile, the truth is obscured.

When private investigator P Balasubramaniam (Bala) discovered that his testimony as a witness in Altantuya's murder was not revealed, and evidence was suppressed by both the police and the prosecution, he felt it his public duty to make a statutory declaration (SD1).

He reasoned that if people were to judge truth from lies, in an objective manner, then access to the facts would be crucial. If the whole truth were not to be given during an official inquiry, the findings only amount to a whitewash that robs the public of their chance to determine what really transpired.

So when it appeared that Bala was not going to keep silent, behind-the-scenes activity resulted in Bala retracting his statutory declaration. The day after, he issued a sanitised version of SD1. This second statutory declaration (SD2) omitted all references to the deputy prime minister and defence minister at the time, Najib Abdul Razak.

Did Bala receive RM5 million?

Interestingly, one of the people who 'persuaded' Bala to release SD2 was the younger brother of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who during a meeting near The Curve in Damansara said, "If you love your family, just follow what Deepak (Jaikishan) tells you to do."

Deepak is a carpet salesman and a good friend of Malaysia's "First Lady".

Another extraordinary point was that when Deepak promised Bala RM5 million to guarantee both his family's safety and his silence, it is also alleged that ASP Suresh, who was to facilitate matters for Bala, was offered RM4-million to act as the middleman.

The press conference in London, on 7th July 2010, held by Bala and his team of lawyers, was supposed to be a platform to discuss issues raised during a scheduled interview of Bala by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). When the MACC cancelled at the last minute, their non-appearance generated more questions than answers.

According to the lawyer Manjeet Singh Dhillon, "What we intended to do if MACC had turned up in London, was for Balasubramaniam to highlight a whole series of events surrounding this Altantuya matter that pointed to the centre of a conspiracy web. A conspiracy at the very highest level to keep out all references to Najib."

Bala's interview with the MACC, which was to have taken place on 5 and 6 July 2010, would have focused on the two SDs and the payment made to Bala to withdraw SD1.

Bala believes his former client, Abdul Razak Baginda, to be innocent of Altantuya's murder. He said, "Abdul Razak Baginda is a scapegoat. He has got nothing to do with the murder. Yes, he was financing her and he had a relationship with her, but as far as I am concerned, he is innocent. In fact, my testimony in court saved him".

He reasoned that if Abdul Razak Baginda hired him until 26 October, 2006, then he can't have known that Shariibuu would be murdered on the night of 19 October 2006.

This is a naïve assumption. What if Abdul Razak Baginda is smarter than we imagine? What is a week's fees if all semblance of innocence can be preserved? That would be the perfect cover and a good decoy. Bala says that Abdul Razak Baginda is a coward and that he lied in his (Baginda's) earlier press conference, soon after his release.

Never mix business with pleasure

Abdul Razak Baginda may have his own reasons for wanting Altantuya eliminated.

If Baginda and his puppet-masters had only paid Altantuya a fraction of what she was promised, it is possible that she would have gone away and none of the Scorpene scandal would have surfaced.

Greed got the better of them and they probably reneged on the deal.

The common themes which seem to drive this sorry saga are greed and sloppy methods. If there is another lesson to be learnt, it is never to mix business with pleasure.

It was reported that Altantuya spoke Russian, Chinese, Japanese and English. There was no reference to fluency in French. How was she assisting Abdul Razak Baginda in the translations? Was he a tight-wad who wanted a translator, on the cheap, who could also double-up as his 'arm-candy'?

Was she an accredited technical translator? The terminology used in hydraulics, electrical systems and chemical exchanges would mystify many ordinary translators.

Altantuya was allegedly promised a commission amounting to US$500,000 for her translating services. Was this the original arrangement or promised by Abdul Razak Baginda in the throes of passion?

Did Altantuya discover, in one of their trysts, that Abdul Razak Baginda's company, Perimekar, would net €114 million in a €1 billion (RM4.5 billion) contract? Did she get too greedy and demand more money?

Taxi driver demanded fare

On the evening of 19 October 2006, Altantuya, her cousin Amy and a friend, went to Abdul Razak Baginda's house by taxi. Two of the girls crossed the road to wait for Altantuya to finalise her business with Baginda, to settle her commission.

When Altantuya was bundled into the red Proton, the taxi-driver rushed after her demanding his RM100 fare. But for his insistence at being paid, we would never have been privy to her murder.

Chief inspector Azilah Hadri was one of Najib's bodyguards who would later be sentenced to death for Altantuya's murder. He was at the scene and only paid the taxi-driver RM50. If he had paid in full, we would never have known the details of the events leading to Altantuya's death.

With Altantuya missing, her two cousins lodged a complaint at the nearest Mongolian embassy, in Bangkok. Amy's testimony forced the taxi-driver who was underpaid, to make a police report at the Tun HS Lee police station. His testimony helped.

If Amy had not been persistent in her search for her cousin, Altantuya's disappearance would have sunk without trace.

Without the evidence of the taxi-driver, to back up Amy's story, Altantuya's abduction may never have surfaced.

This case is just like the submarines purchased by Najib and Abdul Razak Baginda – they have a nasty habit of keeping afloat.


http://www.malaysia-today.net/index...-paris&catid=21:special-reports&Itemid=100135


-----------------

Need to add too, without the erasures of the travel records of Altantuya and her traveling companions subsequently, no fingers will point so fast to the top of the food chains. Soon the weakest link is going to break and we will have the front seat to this Altantuya Mk. 2.

Folks, get your popcorns and sodas ready.

 

[kensington]

French police hold marathon session in Paris with Bala


Wong Choon Mei
Malaysia Chronicle

Amid talk that Malaysian police have warned the press not to make any contact with him, private investigator P Balasubramaniam spent a marathon session debriefing French investigators in Paris on what he knows of Prime Minister Najib Razak's role in the purchase of two high-cost submarines in 2002.

“I was told that editors were warned not to have direct communication with Bala or else they could be arrested,” PKR strategic director Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

Indeed, Bala, a former Special Branch detective, may hold key information that could incriminate the Malaysian leader, his wife Rosmah Mansor, their friend Razak Baginda and a murdered Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu in the French corruption probe.

Bala is the first Malaysian witness to be called to give his statement to Parisian police. Accompanied by his lawyer, Manjit Singh Dhillon, he went for his 2pm (8pm Malaysian time) meeting with them at the Direction Centrale de la Police in Nanterre Prefecture.

However, until 6pm Paris time (12midnight Malaysian time), when most offices have closed for the day, Bala was inside the Direction Centrale giving his statement. All eyes are now on what had transpired during those long hours. His lawyer is expected to issue a press statement later in the day.

“Of course, we are all anxious to know what Bala was asked and what the French police told him. I think most Malaysians are eager for some justice to be done,” Tian said.

Intimidation and suppression

To an extent, the Malaysian premier has himself to blame for the increasing feelings of discontent and distrust amongst the citizenry and within his own Umno party. Pundits say he may have overplayed his hand by slapping on an unofficial blackout and using intimidating tactics to scare off the media and political critics from the episode.

Najib's credibility wore thinner when the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission – which answers directly to him – swerved at the 11th hour from a London appointment to record Bala’s statement last week.

“You may have noticed the sharp counter-attacks that Najib, some of the Umno leaders and the police have launched against Pakatan leaders, like Anwar Ibrahim, Tian and Chegu Bard in the past week. They are trying very hard to deflect attention from the case, even to the extent of giving the impression that snap elections are at the doorstep,” PKR vice president Sivarasa Rasiah told Malaysia Chronicle.

The French investigation comes about following a complaint lodged by Malaysian civil rights group SUARAM. The NGO has said it had no choice but to take its case on behalf of Malaysian taxpayers to France because of Najib's stubborn refusal to initiate any inquiry on allegations that DCNS, the vendor of the Scorpene submarines, had paid Baginda a kickback of 114 million euros or RM570 million for closing the deal.

No longer containable

It is believed that the contract inked between the Malaysian defense ministry and the French firm contained an anti-corruption clause that makes it illegal to pay any commission or form of kickback to secure the deal. This provides the basis for the French probe as DCNS is one of their biggest companies.

On the Malaysian side, Najib was the defense minister at that time and had sanctioned the acquisition. Bala was hired by Baginda in 2006 to stop Altantuya from blackmailing Baginda for her US$500,000 share of the commission.

If there is sufficient evidence, France may prosecute the wrongdoers although it may not have jurisdiction on the Malaysian personalities involved. Nevertheless, SUARAM has urged French prosecutors to make public all their findings so that Malaysian authorities can also take action at home.

The Malaysian government or navy may also sue DCNS for recovery of the commission if the French probe finds that the firm did violate the anti-corruption clause. Whether the Najib administration will allow this to happen is already a 'hot' debate amongst the people, but it is unlikely that Malaysian taxpayers would let him sweep the matter under the carpet any more.

In a statutory declaration made in 2008, Bala listed down explosive information given to him by Razak during the course of his work. It is believed that this information will form the heart of his testimony to the French team.


http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/2010/07/marathon-session-for-bala-in-paris-all.html

 

[kensington]

French probe: Most of the info still P&C, Bala to issue statement


Wong Choon Mei
Malaysia Chronicle

Malaysian private investigator P Balasubramaniam has confirmed meeting the French police and also the Parisian legal team representing civil rights group SUARAM in connection to a graft probe involving Prime Minister Najib Razak’s purchase of two high-cost Scorpene submarines.

“Unfortunately, most of the information is still confidential between the French investigators, the lawyers and Bala,” SUARAM director Cynthia Gabriel told Malaysia Chronicle.

“But I am told Bala is aware of the huge public interest and will make a statement soon. His lawyers are preparing it.”

Kickback

Bala, a former Special Branch detective, found himself unexpectedly catapulted into international fame when he revealed information recounted to him by his former boss Razak Baginda.

The information which he laid out in a statutory declaration implicated Baginda, Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor in a thrilling tale of intrigue involving big-time money, sex, corruption and ending with the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a beautiful 28-year old Mongolian translator who had helped to close Najib’s acquisition of the submarines from French defense firm DCNS.

Two former bodyguards of Najib’s and Rosmah’s have been sentenced to hang for killing Altantuya in Malaysia in 2006, but conspiracy theories still abound and most Malaysians believe the masterminds who ordered her murder were still at large.

In the French probe, the focus is on the corruption angle to the Scorpenes purchase. The two submarines cost Malaysian taxpayers 1.34 billio euros or RM6.7 billion, and what has rankled and is now at the heart of the French probe is a 114 million euros or RM570 million contract Najib awarded to his close friend Baginda as part of the acquisition package.

Was this amount a kickback? Malaysia’s ministry of defense has denied any irregularity, booking the amount as fees for co-ordination and support services. Yet Baginda’s firm Perimekar has no prior record of any knowledge of submarines technology or maintenance.

It is believed that the contract signed by the Malaysian authorities and DCNS contained an anti-corruption clause that prohibits any payment of commission or form of kickback.

Media blackout and harassment

Najib’s refusal to initiate any probes sparked public outrage and resulted in SUARAM lodging a complaint in Paris.Not only is there an unofficial blackout on the case, but some media editors have been warned against contacting Bala or face being arrested by the police.

In Paris itself, there are also whistle-blowers who want action to be taken against DCNS and some of their own politicians over the Malaysian purchase. DCNS has a notorious record of bribing its way through huge deals.

“For us, we are very curious firstly because of Altantuya, Najib and Rosmah and then the huge kickback that has been alleged from the purchase of the submarines. For the French, they are interested firstly because of the corruption that may involve DCNS and their own politicians,” Malaysian MP for Parit Buntar Mujahid Yusof Rawa told Malaysia Chronicle.


“Of course, they are also interested by Altantuya and how she was killed. But this case won’t fade away, not like the Lingam Tape in Malaysia. There is a very strong anti-graft lobby in Paris that is demanding for a total a clean-up in the way French defense giants like DCNS conduct business. They are not going to let go of this case. So this also means, there is no escape for the Malaysian side either.”

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/2010/07/french-probe-most-of-info-still-p-bala.html

 

[kensington]

PM, Rosmah, Baginda, Deepak mentioned in Bala's French probe


Wong Choon Mei
Malaysia Chronicle

FINAL UPDATE WITH MALAYSIA-TODAY INTERVIEW INCLUDED
Malaysian private investigator P Balasubramaniam spent three hours huddled with the French police on Monday and during the long question-and-answer session, the names Najib, Rosmah, Baginda, ASP Suresh, Deepak and Dinesh cropped up several times.

“There were also some new names that Bala mentioned. I am not sure if he will reveal those when he issues a statement to the press. But because of the huge public interest, most likely his lawyers will issue the statement later tonight or tomorrow,” a source close to the investigation told Malaysia Chronicle.

The names mentioned refer to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, his wife Rosmah Mansor, their friend Razak Baginda, police officer ASP Suresh, businessman Deepak Jaikishan and his brother Dinesh.

The Malaysian leader has been accused of taking a kickback worth 114 million euros or RM570 million from French defense giant DCNS over the purchase of two Scorpene submarines he sanctioned when he was defense minister in 2002.

Najib has denied the allegations but he did benefit a company controlled by Baginda with a co-ordination and support services contract worth RM570 million.

ASP Suresh is a police officer whom Bala has known for a long time, while Deepak is a friend of Rosmah’s. When he emerged after more than a year in hiding in late 2009, Bala had said ASP Suresh and Deepak were the ones who introduced him to Najib’s brother Nazim Razak.

The meeting took place hours after Bala had made a sensational statutory declaration that incriminated Najib, Rosmah, Baginda in the submarines deal as well as in the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, who was trying to blackmail Baginda for her US$500,000 share of commission.

“The French police wanted to know what happened to Bala after he disappeared. They wanted to know why he ran off and who asked him to leave Malaysia. They wanted to see documentary proof of the payments he said he received from Deepak,” said the source.

RM5 million to leave Malaysia

Indeed, Bala had revealed in November 2009 that Nazim had met him at a Volkswagon showroom in The Curve shopping mall in Selangor state on July 3, 2008. Nazim’s pregnant wife was also present, he had recounted.

According to Bala, Nazim offered him RM5 million to reverse his statutory declaration, leave Malaysia immediately and to keep silent on the case. Bala also said Rosmah was very pleased that he had agreed to retract the statutory declaration and wanted to have breakfast with him.

So far, Bala says he has received RM750,000 and has also kept several bank-in slips showing transfers of around RM50,000 each time.

A former Special Branch detective, Bala's life has been turned upside down by the Altantuya murder and Scropene graft case. Last week, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission swerved at the 11th hour from recording his statement even though they had agreed to do so at a London venue, where Bala had promised to do his best to help in investigations.

Despite the MACC's suspicious behavior, Bala proceeded to Paris, where he was interviewed by the French police at the Direction Centrale de la Police in Nanterre Prefecture. The French authorities are probing possible corruption by DCNS and certain of their own politicians. Naval arms-maker DCNS has a notorious record of bribing its way into huge deals.

Malaysian civil rights group SUARAM also gave impetus to the French probe when it lodged a complaint in Paris on behalf of Malaysian taxpayers earlier this year. SUARAM director Cynthia Gabriel has said they were forced into action after Najib refused to initiate any probe into the widespread allegations of corruption.

The Nazim factor

So far, the two submarines have set back national coffers by RM6.7 billion and although Najib insists the RM570 million contract he granted to Baginda was not a form of commission, Baginda's firm - Perimekar - has no previous record of any knowledge of submarines technology.

Intertwined into the submarines acquisition is the gruesome murder of the beautiful 28-year old Altantuya, who was shot in the head and her body blown up with C4 explosives to prevent identification. Two former bodyguards of Najib's and Rosmah's have been sentenced to hang for the murder but speculation remains rife that there were masterminds involved and they are still at large.

But it was the latest revelation of the involvement of Nazim, Najib's younger architect brother, that forced the Malaysian authorities into a fresh show of action after submerging the case following Bala's 'disappearance'.

Challenged in Parliament to take action, the MACC vowed to get to the bottom of the complex case and sought an interview with Bala. But the commission - which falls under the direct purview of the Prime Minister - startled the nation and other foreign observers when it backed off at the last minute.

"It really speaks badly about law and order in Malaysia. If the national anti-graft commission can withdraw from such an important and high-profile case, surely they must have received instructions from the highest authority, and sadly, all the indicators point to Najib himself," Tian told Malaysia Chronicle.

Malaysia Chronicle appends below Part 5 of an interview Bala gave to Malaysia Today in November 2009:

PI Bala Part 5: ” I was told Rosmah was happy with my retraction”

In the fifth and final part of the mystery interview with private eye P Balasubramaniam published in Malaysia Today, he tells that prime minister’s wife Rosmah Mansor was “very happy” with him for retracting his first statutory declaration which implicated her and Najib Razak in Altantuya’s murder.

He added that Rosmah had wanted to have breakfast with him. Balasubramaniam, a central figure in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case, also revealed that he had met Najib’s younger brother Nazim the night before signing the second declaration which exonerated Najib and Rosmah.

He added that he was only paid RM750,000 of the promised RM5 million for the retraction.

Below are excerpts from the interview.

How long had you known ASP Suresh before this incident?

I have known him for about 10 years. I met him when he was a senior investigation officer at the IPK Kuala Lumpur. I was a private investigator then.

ASP Suresh used to ask me to assist him in obtaining fast traces and details on mobile phones as I had contacts in the phone companies and was able to get the information required faster than the police who had to go through official channels.

At one stage, I was working for ASP Suresh as a bouncer at his pub in Jalan Imbi. He had been suspended from his duties as a police officer sometime in 2006 as he was being investigated for corruption by the ACA.

Had you met Deepak before this incident?

No. But I had done some PI work for his brother Dinesh in the past. I knew Deepak was Dinesh’s brother.

You have said that you met a Malay VIP Datuk outside the Volkswagen showroom at The Curve on the night of July 3rd 2008. Who was this gentleman?

He was Datuk Nazim Razak, the younger brother of Najib. He was there with his pregnant wife. Although I did not speak to her, I recognised her as being a TV personality. I think she was the host on the ‘Nona’ programme. Deepak was the one who brought them there to meet me. That is why ASP Suresh did not want us to meet in a place where there would have been a CCTV camera.

When you were in the Hilton Hotel at KL Sentral with Deepak, Dinesh and ASP Suresh and after you had signed the second statutory declaration, was there anything said to you which you consider to be significant?

Yes, there were two things which Deepak told me. He informed me that Rosmah was very happy with me for retracting my first statutory declaration and wanted to have breakfast with me.

When I enquired from Deepak how long I was expected to leave the country for, he informed me it would be until Najib became the next prime minister and that I could return after that.

When did you contact your lawyer Americk Sidhu?

I called him in the middle of July 2009. I was still in India then. I wanted to arrange a meeting with him to inform him what had happened to me and to apologize for all the trouble I had caused. Americk was in the UK when I called him so we arranged to meet in Kuala Lumpur when he returned at the beginning of August.

Did you meet him?

Yes. We met in early August. At the meeting were two other senior lawyers whom Americk had arranged to be present. I told them everything that had happened to me from the time I left Americk’s office in the evening of the July 3, 2008.

Did you realise that this meeting had been secretly videoed?

I did not realise I was being filmed. I was, however, subsequently informed that a recording had been made and this video is safekeeping. I understand this was done to protect me in the event something untoward happened to me again.

How did you manage to survive financially all the time you were away?

Deepak arranged intermittent payments to be made to me. Some payments were made to my wife directly into her account with the EON Bank in KL.

Other payments were made to ASP Suresh who then arranged payment to me directly or through a friend of mine in Malaysia. I have copies of some of the cheques issued by Deepak Jaikishan and from his company, Carpet Raya Sdn Bhd.

I also have copies of my wife’s bank statements showing the deposits which were made. I also have copies of my HSBC account in Chennai.

How much money did you receive from Deepak from the time you left Malaysia in July 2008 till now?

All together, approximately RM750,000.

Do you have any money left?

Yes, I have invested approximately RM250,000 for my future as I am not sure what will happen to me. I also spent some money on renovations to my house in Rawang as my wife and youngest child were there. These renovations were in respect of the security of my home only.

The rest of the money was spent on renting accommodation in Chennai, paying for my children’s schooling and for daily expenses.

Didn’t Deepak promise you RM5 million?

The negotiations were all conducted by ASP Suresh at the Bak Kut Teh stall in Rawang on the night of the July 3, 2008. I was not involved in these negotiations as I was not concerned about money but the safety of my family.

I have subsequently come to realise that ASP Suresh had a vested interest in all this as I know he has received about the same amount of money from Deepak as I have. His job was to keep me under control. This is why he is annoyed with me for not following his instructions because his income from Deepak would be affected.

Why did you wait so long before revealing all this?

When I was at the Hilton Hotel at KL Sentral, I had asked Deepak how long I would have to stay out of the country. He told me it would have to be until Najib became the prime minister. I could not return to Malaysia before February 2009 as one Kumar had my passport in his possession in India for five months.

I only got my passport back after I complained to Deepak when he visited me in India with ASP Suresh. Deepak called his brother Rajesh to find out what had happened to my passport and within two days Kumar asked me to pick it up from him. I was at this time in India illegally as my visa had expired on September 5, 2008.

In order to get my visa extended I had to seek assistance from my wife’s uncle who is a state exco member in Tamil Nadu who managed to get it extended for one year. Only after this was I able to travel back to Malaysia.

What happened when you arrived back in Malaysia in February 2009?

When I landed in KL, I called Dinesh to inform him I was back in Malaysia. I was summoned to Deepak’s office in Sungai Besi at 11.45 pm the same night and was told in no uncertain terms to leave the country immediately, but I stayed a little longer as I wanted to be with my children and my wife. They didn’t know I had not left immediately.

Why did you come back to Malaysia in April 2009?

Just to see my wife and children. This time I did not tell anyone I was back and so I was not harassed.

Why have you now decided to reveal everything?

Because I want to stop all harassments and so that I can return to my normal life.

Were the contents of your first statutory declaration true?

Yes.

Were you forced to sign the first statutory declaration under duress?

Absolutely not.

Were you forced to sign the second statutory declaration under duress?

Yes, because I was fearful for the safety of my family and I did not read the contents of the second statutory declaration before I was asked to sign it.

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/2010/07/french-cops-quizzed-bala-for-3-hours.html
http://www.malaysia-today.net/index...probe&catid=19:newscommentaries&Itemid=100131

 

[kensington]

Interview of Mr. Balasubramanian a/l Perumal By French Police/French Lawyer


The French investigator appeared to be very familiar with the events in Malaysia relating to the Altantunya murder. The interview however centered on the scorpene submarine deal and the alleged commission paid in connection with that.

Police Interview

Date of interview: 12.7.2010

Time of interview: 2 pm. Interview took 3 hours.

Place of interview: Direction Centrale de la Police Judiciare DNIF, Nanterre, Paris

Interviewed by Mr. M. Ryckewaert assisted by English interpreter and another lady officer. Interview conducted in French through English interpreter.

Observation: The French investigator appeared to be very familiar with the events in Malaysia relating to the Altantunya murder. The interview however centered on the scorpene submarine deal and the alleged commission paid in connection with that.

The following were the areas covered in the interview.

1. My background [including date and place of birth] and my occupation ranging from time I was with Malaysian police to time when I became a private investigator in 1998.

2. The validity of my PI license.

3. The whole story as to how I was recruited to do a job for Razak Baginda and my interview before the job done by Mr. Dhirren Norendra, a lawyer practicing in Kuala Lumpur. I was questioned about the scope of my assignment, the target and objectives of my assignment.

4. The background to the Altantunya murder. I briefed them of the events 4eading up to and after the murder and also told them to read my first SD and the Singapore interview. Also the identity of the two police officers convicted of the murder, who they worked for as well as the identity of the various other people identified as being about when Altantunya disappeared and their link to Baginda and/or the PM.

5 . Razak Baginda’s relationship with our present PM, the information and events narrated to me by Baginda including the sms sent by the PM to Baginda at the point of his arrest for the murder of Altantunya.

6. The Malaysian company, Perimekar, its ownership, and link to Baginda and his wife. Also nature of business undertaken by Perimeker. I told them of the presence of army equipment in Baginda’s office. Information concerning Razak Baginda and his present whereabouts.

7. Financial payments by Razak Baginda to Altantuya including the three US$5K payments by Baginda to Altantunya including a penalty of US$1K because late banking in. Also the purchase by Razak Baginda of an apartment in Mongolia for Altantunya. Also the background to US$500K payment demanded by Altantunya, its background, how it arose, its link to the Scorpene submarine deal, Altanunya’s involvement in the negotiations and admission and confirmation by Baginda that he should have paid Altantunya the money.

8. How Rosmah Mansor teamed up with Deepak to exile me from Malaysia, the

threats to my family after I signed the first SD as well as the involvement of the PM’s brother in the events that led to the 2nd SD and my being smuggled out of Malaysia and asked to stay away till Najib became PM.

9. I was asked to retrace the events in Rawang coffee house where Deepak, Dinesh and ASP Suresh were present.

10. The length and time I have in exile.

11. Details concerning Altantunya’s cousin. Ammy, who had knowledge of the Paris

dinner where the PM and Razak Baginda were present with Altantunya.

12. The identity of French individuals involved in the Scorpene deal.

13. My knowledge of any payments by the French to Perimekar and information given to me by Altantunya that her US$500K was because of the successful deal concerning the Scorpene submarine transaction.

14. The identity, background and involvement of two Malaysians identified as Major Rahim and Abdul Rahim bin Saad.

15. Altantuya’s family background.

16. My links with Suaram, if any.

17. The need for justice to be served for the Altantunya murder and the truth to be told concerning the Scorpene deal.

I signed the statement that the French officer recorded.

Meeting with the French Lawyer

I also met with Mr. Joseph Breham, a French lawyer acting for Suaram, on 13.7.2010 at 10 a.m. at his office at Cabinet Bourdon-Voituriez-Burget, 156 Rue e Rivoli, Paris.

http://malaysia-today.net/index.php...ch-lawyer&catid=18:letterssurat&Itemid=100129

 

[kensington]

Bala and the wider French probe into DCN

Officers of the National Financial Investigation Division (DNIF) of France are responsible for probing into the conditions of sale of submarines to Malaysia, especially a related 114 million euro payment, a French website has revealed.

The DNIF is a divison of the Central Directorate of Judicial Police (DCPJ) based in Nanterre near Paris. This was where Bala was questioned on Monday.

The DCPJ is the national authority of the criminal division of the French police tasked with leading and coordinating the actions of law enforcement forces (Police Nationale and Gendarmerie Nationale) against organised crime (either criminal or financial activities). In carrying out its investigations, the DCPJ works with other institutions such as the Customs and Revenue Service, according to Wikipedia.

The implications of the DCN investigation are serious: the bribery of foreign public officials is punishable in France since June 2000 with ten years’ imprisonment and a 150,000-euro fine, said the Liberation (le malaise malaisien) website.

Leaders of the weapons consortium have already come under two financial investigations. Since February 2008, investigative judges Francoise Desset and Jean-Christophe Hullin have been looking into “bribery and corruption” involving DCN deals. Earlier this year, a preliminary investigation was opened into an attack in Karachi linked to the sale of Agosta submarines to Pakistan in 1994, reported Liberation.

Meanwhile, several officials have already been placed under investigation in the wider DCN affair involving deals with other countries, noted the respected French media group Le Monde with AFP on 29 June:

Jean-Marie Boivin, the representative of the Luxembourg company Eurolux, and whose name is cited in the case of the attack in Karachi in 2002, was placed under investigation Monday, June 28 by the judges Francoise Desset and Jean-Christophe Hullin in another investigation of the former Department of Naval Construction (DCN) for espionage and corruption….

Jean-Marie Boivin had already been summoned by the magistrates on June 16 but he did not attend the meeting. He was finally indicted on Monday.

Three people have been indicted in this case: Claude Thevenet, consultant and former member of the management of the Territorial Surveillance (DST cons-espionage), Gerard Philippe Menayas, a former executive of DCN, and Jean Peter Dentel, a tax auditor for the national division of tax investigations.

BOIVIN CITED IN SURVEY KARACHI

The name of Jean-Marie Boivin appears in the investigation into the attack in Karachi (Pakistan) in 2002. Commissions paid on the sale of submarines to Pakistan in 1994 were handled by a company called Heine, whose representative Mr. Boivin was created with the support of Nicolas Sarkozy when he was budget minister in 1994.

Fifteen people, including eleven employees of DCN working on the construction of submarines, died in the attack in May 2002: French antiterrorist judges suspect that it was in retaliation for the arrest of payment of these commissions to the Pakistani army.

http://anilnetto.com/accountability/who-questioned-bala-in-france/
http://www.malaysia-today.net/index...&catid=16:from-around-the-blogs&Itemid=100132

 

[kensington]

French connection: The net is closing in

Mariam Mokhtar from Paris

PARIS – Private eye P Balasubramaniam (picture) is the first witness from Malaysia to testify in investigations into alleged corruption in the sale of Scorpene submarines by French state-owned naval shipyard DCN (Direction des Constructions Navales) to Malaysia.

Unlike the Malaysian government, the French view these matters seriously.

The French police are taking the lead and Bala was interviewed at 14:00 Central European Summer Time (CEST) on Monday 12 July. The following day, 13 July, he met with the French legal expert Joseph Breham at 10:00 CEST for further discussions.

He had his first meeting with three people - a French policeman who asked the questions, his assistant and an interpreter. At the end of the three-hour session, he had four papers to sign.

He mentioned that the questions that were put to him on the second day of interviews were similar to the ones discussed with the police the previous day. He also confirmed that two extra people would be involved in the investigations - which his lawyer Americk Sidhu had mentioned in an earlier press release.

When asked how he felt the two interviews had gone, he said he felt "very positive" about them, and that he had a "good feeling" that justice would finally be done. He also hinted that there might be further investigations and possibly another trip to Paris to give his testimony.

When questioned about a possible time frame for these further enquiries, he guessed that it might take around six months.

He stressed that once the details had been finalised, his lawyers would issue an official press release concerning the two interviews that had been conducted in Paris.

Investigation into Altantuya's death

Few will disagree with the saying that if justice is to be done, then it must be seen to be done. Any legal processes involved should be open to scrutiny and be impartial. However, when it came to the investigation into Altantuya’s death, justice was allowed to sink without trace.

When Bala found that his testimony as a witness in Altantuya’s murder was suppressed, he concluded that the official inquiries were a whitewash.

The submarines were built by Armaris, a subsidiary of the French defence giant DCN. A third, retired, submarine, built by a joint venture between DCN and Agosta from Spain, was leased.

The cost of the submarines and the "commission" fee were paid to companies (Perimekar and KS Ombak Laut) owned by Najib's friend, Abdul Razak Baginda. Baginda’s wife, Mazalinda, is the principal shareholder.

Under the terms of the original contract, the vessels were basically hulks. A further RM550 million was spent to fit the submarines with detection devices and armaments.

Expensive scrap metal

In essence, Malaysia’s defence ministry had purchased a lot of expensive scrap metal.

In December 2009, lawyers Joseph Breham, Renaud Semerdjian and William Bourdon, acting on behalf of their clients Suaram, filed the request in France, to investigate corruption allegations against DCN. The French court opened a preliminary investigation.

Questions centred around what Perimekar did to justify the receipt of RM482 million.

Perimekar received monies for “coordination and services”. However, the Paris filing alleges that there were neither support nor services.

Perimekar was registered just before the signing of the contracts for the sale. It also appeared to lack the financial resources, technical expertise and capability.

Interestingly, the response of the French has been in stark contrast to that of the Malaysians. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is apparently afraid to interview Bala. Perhaps, the MACC considers itself too important to consider his testimony.

The MACC is seemingly showing an invisible bias towards those who are most at risk, or those who are in power.

"Justice and the truth must prevail."

Yesterday, Bala said that towards the end of the interview, the policeman asked if he (Bala) had anything more to say. Bala responded, “Justice and the truth must prevail.”

However, one wonders if there is any point in continuing the charade of investigations in Malaysia. It wastes time and public money.

Political observers will recall that former premier Tony Blair was asked to give evidence at the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war recently.

Maybe the French should obtain the assistance of former prime ministers, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Badawi to shed some light into their investigations. The testimonies of these two men should prove invaluable.

During their tenure as prime minister, their defence minister, Najib, went on a mammoth defence shopping spree.

Was it a plan conceived during Mahathir’s time which spiraled out of control when he left office? In which case, Abdullah Badawi ought to know. These scandals happened mostly under his watch.


http://www.malaysianmirror.com/colu...45763-french-connection-the-net-is-closing-in
http://www.malaysia-today.net/index...ing-in&catid=21:special-reports&Itemid=100135

 

[kensington]

Bala spills all in Paris

Bala & RPK having ABCDE(air batu campur di england)


PARIS: French police asked for details about the Altantuya murder although the focus of their investigation was alleged corruption in an arms deal between Malaysia and a French firm, according to Malaysia’s most famous private eye P Balasubramaniam, better known as PI Bala.

In a press statement released today, the former police special branch officer said he briefed the French investigator on events surrounding the murder and told what he knew about the relationships between Mongolian beauty Altantuya Shaariibuu, arms deal broker Abdul Razak Baginda and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

He said he also revealed how he was threatened and bribed by one of Najib’s brothers, Nazim, and carpet seller Deepak Jaikishan, a good friend of Najib’s wife Rosmah.

Bala’s Monday meeting in Paris with French prosecutor M Ryckewaert lasted three hours.

The French are interested in information relating to Malaysia’s purchase of Scorpene submarines in 2002, when Najib was Defence Minister. They want to determine whether the French-based defence firm DCNS paid commissions in the deal, which would be illegal under French law.

Bala said: “I told them about the Malaysian company Perimekar, its ownership and links to (Abdul Razak) Baginda.

“I also told them of the presence of army equipment in Baginda’s office (and gave them) information concerning Baginda and his current whereabouts.”

Perimekar, which is owned by Abdul Razak’s wife, was paid RM570 million for “coordination and support services”() as part of the Scorpene deal.

Abdul Razak hired Bala in October 2006, when Altantunya began harassing him for money. She was subsequently murdered and her body blown up by C-4 explosives in a secondary jungle near Shah Alam.

Two policemen—Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar—have been convicted for her murder. Abdul Razak was charged with abetting them but was eventually acquitted.

Bala said he told Ryckewaert what Altantuya told him—that her reward as translator in the deal was supposed to be USD500,000, that Abdul Razak actually made three payments to her of USD5,000 each, and that he bought her an apartment in Mongolia.

“I also touched upon Baginda’s relationship with the PM and the information and events narrated to me by Baginda, including the SMS sent by the PM to Baginda at the point of his arrest for the murder,” Bala said.

Two other names—Major Rahim and Abdul Rahim Saad—came up during the questioning, but Bala’s statement did not say who they were or what role they played in the scandal.

Also read:

PI Bala to meet French cops tonight

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/8015-bala-spills-all-in-paris
http://www.malaysia-today.net/index...aris-&catid=19:newscommentaries&Itemid=100131

 

[kensington]

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/o6915jOQsAE&rel=0&border=1&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/o6915jOQsAE&rel=0&border=1&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>


---------------------

French show interest in Razak Baginda during Bala interview

By Shannon Teoh

LONDON, July 15 — Despite being acquitted of the gruesome murder of Altantuya Shariibuu, Abdul Razak Baginda may yet be haunted by the saga centred around the RM7 billion purchase of Scorpene submarines from French company DCN.

Even though his former private investigator, P. Balasubramaniam, claimed Abdul Razak was innocent of the murder, French authorities are keen to examine the political analyst’s role.

Balasubramaniam (picture), who was hired by Abdul Razak in October 2006 when Shariibuu began harassing him for money, spent a substantial portion of a three-hour-long interview with French police detailing his former client’s involvement in the affair.

The interview, held on Monday in Paris, is part of investigations into alleged irregularities in the payment of RM570 million to Perimekar, a company owned by Abdul Razak, for what the Malaysian government calls “co-ordination and support services” in clinching the submarine deal.

In the course of the interview, two new names also surfaced — Malaysians identified as Major Rahim and Abdul Rahim bin Saad.

A statement released by Balasubramaniam after the interview said that the investigators wanted to know the identity of the two Malaysians, their background and involvement in the matter.

But the private eye did not detail what, if any, information on the two Rahims he divulged, or if he knew them at all.

Balasubramaniam had, however, talked about Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, the two police officers convicted of Shariibuu’s murder who were also part of then-Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s security detail and other people who were around when the Mongolian disappeared on the night of her death.

The former Special Branch officer spoke about “their link to Baginda and Razak Baginda’s relationship with our present PM” as well as other information relayed to him by Abdul Razak, an Oxford graduate said to be a confidante of Najib’s.

The interview also touched on Abdul Razak’s current whereabouts and Balasubramaniam detailed what he knew about payments that his client had made to Shariibuu, including the US$500,000 (RM1.6 million) demanded by her for her part in the successful submarine deal.

Balasubramaniam made his way to Paris after arriving in London for an interview with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on the same matter but was then informed that the anti-graft body would merely be sending questions for him to answer.

His lawyers expressed disappointment at the last minute pullout, saying that a “golden opportunity was lost” in which they would have detailed a “conspiracy web that goes to the very highest level”.

http://www.malaysia-today.net/index...rview&catid=19:newscommentaries&Itemid=100131

 

[kensington]

Flashback...

Amy, whose entry record was erased by the immigration dept.
Who ordered the erasure ???

Ninjas attending court...

Scene of crime, Bukit Puncak, Shah Alam

A gentle reminder that Altantuya is still remembered...