[ Altantuya ] Dead detective had vowed to reveal truth on model murder

[Simmons]

Dead detective had vowed to reveal truth on model murder

Date March 18, 2013

Lindsay Murdoch
South-East Asia correspondent for Fairfax Media

Controversial claims: Perumal Balasubramaniam.

A former private detective at the centre of allegations swirling around the murder of a glamorous Mongolian socialite in Malaysia has died in Kuala Lumpur of a suspected heart attack.

Perumal Balasubramaniam, who is known as PI Bala, had returned to Malaysia early this year from self-imposed exile in India to campaign against the Barisan Nasional coalition led by prime minister Najib Razak that faces an election by mid-year.

Mr Bala, 53, had controversially claimed the 28 year-old socialite Altantuya Shaariibuu was sexually linked with Mr Najib before she was murdered in a patch of jungle in the Kuala Lumpur suburbs in 2006. Mr Najib strenuously denies the claim, saying he has sworn on the Koran he never met Ms Shaariibuu.

Murdered: Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Malaysia's opposition had planned for Mr Bala to play a major role during what is expected to be the tightest election campaign in Malaysia's history.

Investigations into the murder of Ms Shaariibuu raised allegations of high-level bribery, blackmail, betrayal and cover-up around Malaysia's $US2 billion purchase of two French-Spanish built Scorpene submarines in 2002 while Mr Najib was defence minister.

The government and Mr Najib deny any wrongdoing in the purchases.

Ms Shaariibuu worked as a translator in the latter stages of the deal negotiations.

Mr Bala made the claim about Mr Najib in a statutory declaration in July 2006 but recanted it the next day. Later he claimed he changed the statement because of threats to his family and that he was offered money to leave the country.

Two of Mr Najib's bodyguards were convicted in 2009 of the murder of Ms Shaariibuu, who had been dragged from a car, knocked unconscious and shot twice in the head as she begged for her life and apparently that of her unborn child.

The killers then wrapped her body in C4 explosives and blew her up.

The bodyguards are appealing the convictions.

Mr Bala told journalists when he returned to Malaysia in January he wanted to expose the truth about his involvement and knowledge of the case.

He attended a rally by the opposition People's Alliance last month but soon after was diagnosed with heart problems.

The claims by Mr Bala and others relating to the events of 2006 by well connected Kuala Lumpur businessman Deepak Jaikishan have not been reported in Malaysia's government-controlled mainstream media but have been hot issues on opposition and independent websites.

Meanwhile, officials of the Barisan Nasional held a marathon meeting at the weekend to prepare for the elections which Mr Najib is expected to call within weeks.

Malaysia's charismatic opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has said he is confident of ousting the Barisan Nasional, which has ruled continuously since Malaysia gained its independence from Britain more than half a century ago. But most analysts predict the ruling parties will probably be returned with a reduced number of seats.

 

[songsongpunggol]

hey buddhist freaks.

where is the karma for najib razak?

for ordering the strapping of c4 on a pregnant woman?

 

[Simmons]

Rosmah denies Altantuya links in biography launched by Dr M
MARCH 19, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 – Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor has denied any involvement in the 2006 murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu, in her biography launched by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today.

In the 180-page biography, the prime minister’s wife (picture) said she was attending a breaking of fast session with the Islamic Orphans Welfare Association in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 19, 2006, the day Altantuya was killed.

“I was at the Tabung Haji building from evening till midnight.

“There were many eyewitnesses there,” she says on page 140 of the biography which is on sale for RM150.

“I will run even if a lizard falls in front of me. I am also afraid of the dark. What more me climbing a hill at the place of murder?” Rosmah said in the book.

She disclosed that she was “questioned” for six hours in Bukit Aman as a result of the “slander” against her.

The biography revealed Rosmah’s journey from her youth to her current position as Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s wife.

The book was scheduled to be released in January but suffered printing delays. It was authored by Siti Rohayah Attan and Noraini Abdul Razak and publisher Yayasan Amanah Perdana said sales have reached RM500,000 to date.

When launching the biography, Dr Mahathir suggested that the biography be distributed to schools as a guide for future generations “100 or 200 years from now”.

“This is to make sure that our children are able to read from the other side as well,” he said.

“I always say that our leaders should write more about their experiences and observations. This is a good book that will serve as guidance for the next generation 100 or 200 years from now,” he added.

 

[Simmons]

Future dim for PI Bala’s family
Anisah Shukry | March 20, 2013

With Balasubramaniam’s death, his wife and three children are now in dire financial state.

KUALA LUMPUR: The nation reeled in shock last week as private investigator P Balasubramaniam abruptly passed away, just days before declaring he would continue to seek justice for the murdered Altantuya Shaariibuu.

But as the shock wears off and Malaysians move on, his family is left picking up the pieces of a shattered life – a life already strained five years ago, when Balasubramaniam’s declarations regarding the prime minister forced his family to flee the country.

Now, with Balasubramaniam dead, his wife, A Santamil Selvi, and three teenaged children are stranded in Malaysia with diminishing funds and a rapidly dimming future. Funeral expenses, education fees and mortgages are weighing heavily on the widow’s mind, who is currently homebound in accordance with Hindu tradition.

“I visited Bala’s wife last night to talk about how her family was coping – she showed me her IOUs, how she is well in debt. She has even resorted to pawning the items she owns,” Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gow Burne told reporters today. “Unfortunately, despite Bala’s sacrifice for the country, his family is now in serious trouble.”

In a bid to keep the bereaved family afloat, Loh is now initiating a fund-raising campaign and is appealing to the public to donate any money they can spare for the widowed Santamil Selvi and her fatherless children.

“The priority is for Bala’s children to be given the opportunity to finish their education, and to ensure that someone who sacrificed all he had for the nation, would not have his family left in poverty,” said Loh.

Balasubramaniam’s lawyer, Americk Singh Sidhu, said the funds would immediately be used to help Santamil Selvi and her children return to India, where they had been residing for the past five years.

“His children must go back to India as they have been schooling there for five years. It would be too difficult for them to adapt to the school system here, especially after all the trauma they recently went through,” said Americk.

“The funds will also go towards basic requirements such as food, clothes, mortgage, education… Monthly expenditure can easily reach up to RM15,000,” he added.
Urgent monetary woes

The lawyer dismissed rumours that Bala had received RM5 million for retracting his claims that Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor were linked to Altantuya’s murder.

“If Bala had never revealed the truth, then maybe he would have got the RM5 million. But he stuck to his stance that the first statutory declaration was the truth, and the funding stopped,” said Americk.

Americk also clarified that the RM750,000 businessman Deepak Jaikishan had given the family in 2008 had already run out as the family had no other source of income.

“Bala and his wife have not been working for five years. Because they are Malaysian citizens, they were not able to gain employment in India.” Americk said the donations would be used to solve the family’s urgent monetary woes. He said he and Loh would also seek a long-term solution to Santamil Selvi and her children’s finances.

“In the meantime, Goh Burne and I shall also update the public on the family’s situation, and how much money we were able to collect,” he said. When asked what compelled him to start the campaign, Loh said that he had worked closely with Balasubramaniam for the past four years and sympathised with his predicament.

“We were involved with Bala since 2009; we helped him collect evidence for his case, so we understand the situation he was in, being on the run for so long.

“We really sympathise with him and we feel there’s a huge injustice done to him due to his steadfast refusal to bow down to authorities. Society should be rewarding him and his family and I hope what he has done will encourage other people to do the right thing.”

Those interested in donating to Balasubramaniam’s family may bank in their money to Santamil Selvi’s Public Bank account at: 4866 0747 04 or contact either Americk or Loh.

 

[Simmons]

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Ex-CID chief: People want to know who killed Altantuya

Mat Zain says people want to know who instructed her murder just as much as they want to know who is behind the Sabah armed incursion.

PETALING JAYA: The government should probe into the drafting of former private investigator P Balasubramaniam’s second statutory declaration (SD II) regardless of whether there is new evidence or not, said former KL criminal investigation department (CID) chief Mat Zain Ibrahim.

He said this was because the police are entitled to conduct fresh investigation as long as there was a new report lodged on the case and the people’s demand to know the real perpetrators behind the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.

In an open letter to Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar today, Mat Zain said all efforts to investigate the armed incursion in Lahad Datu, Sabah will do no good to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak unless he was cleared from involvement in Altantuya’s murder.

“Despite Najib being set to announce a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the matter pertaining to Sabah’s Project IC and armed invasion to Lahad Datu, it will not give any meaning if Najib himself is not cleared of allegations that he was involved in the Altantuya murder or other criminal misconducts.

“So much as the government wants to know who is the mastermind of the Lahad Datu incident, the people also want to know who is behind the murder of Altantuya, especially the one who instructed the bombing of the unfortunate woman, who was believed to be pregnant,” he said.

Mat Zain was responding to Ismail’s statement yesterday that police will only re-open investigation on allegations that Balasubramaniam was coerced into making the false SD II if there were fresh evidence.

“If there are people who come forward with fresh evidence, we will investigate. But if it is old story said in a different way, then we will not entertain,” the police chief was quoted of saying.
Mat Zain pointed out that the statement was inconsistent with former police chief Hanif Omar who during his reign had re-initiated a probe into the 1948 Batang Kali massacre despite receiving only one police report from the victims’ families.

He said Hanif has done that in 1993 although the British government had concluded investigations and made decisions on the matter.

“The report only contained vague information of the case, but Bukit Aman (police headquarters) decided to form a special committee to investigate and give fair hearings to the families involved.
“There is no time-bar in making reports or providing information to a crime,” he said.

Justice for the two policemen

He said re-opening of the case would also serve justice to the two convicted policemen Azilah Hadzri and Sirul Azhar who were sentenced to death penalty for murdering Altantuya and currently awaiting an appeal.

“Abdul Razak Baginda, a close associate of Najib, who was accused of abetting the murder, was acquitted without being called to defend himself, in a state full of controversies.

“People are also aware that many important details related to the murder have been intentionally left out from the murder trial,” he said, in reference to the case that was concluded in August 2008.

“If in the case of Batang Kali massacre, we can re-open investigations after 45 years to give justice to the victim’s families, why can’t we do the same on Balasubramaniam’s SD II and give fair hearing to our police force members?” he asked.

Controversies surrounding Balasubramaniam’s SD II resurfaced following his return to Malaysia last month and his repeated declaration that the first statutory declaration implicating Najib to the murder of Altantuya was the true one.

A day after Balasubramaniam death last week, his lawyer Americk Sidhu claimed that that senior lawyer Cecil Abraham had drafted the SD II on Najib’s instructions.

Leven Woon

 

[StarshipTroopers]

‘Enough proof to reopen Altantuya case’

Anisah Shukry | March 30, 2013

Recent revelations by businessman Deepak Jaikishan, lawyer Americk Singh Sidhu, and private investigator P Balasubramniam constitute as 'new evidence', says the Bar Council.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Bar Council today established there was sufficient new evidence for the attorney-general to reopen investigations in the 2006 murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu.

“The revelations by Deepak Jaikishan, the late P Balasubramaniam, and Americk Singh Sidhu raised sufficient concern to warrant further investigations by the authorities,” Bar Council president Christopher Leong said in a statement today.

“Such further investigations may or may not lead to anything new, but we would only know if additional investigations are in fact undertaken,” he added.

Leong was responding to the Attorney-General’s Chambers statement on Wednesday that it would consider reopening investigations into Altantuya’s gruesome murder only if there was new evidence.

Attorney-General G Abdul Gani Patail said this after the Bar Council urged him to reopen the murder case following revelations from the late Balasubramaniam’s lawyer, Americk, at the council’s annual general meeting.

Americk had claimed that senior lawyer Cecil Abraham was responsible for drafting the private investigator’s second statutory declaration (SD) in 2008. The second SD had reversed all claims made in Balasubramaniam’s first SD, which had implicated Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in Altantuya’s murder.

“Thus, the issue presently is not whether the AG has the discretion [to reopen investigations], but whether there is sufficient cause for him to do so,” Leong said.

Leong pointed out that businessman Deepak’s reaffirmation to the media that Balasubramaniam’s second SD was written to recant the first SD, as well as his role in the matter, was already considered as new evidence.

Deepak had claimed late last year that Rosmah Mansor, the wife of the prime minister, had requested him to persuade Balasubramaniam to write the second SD. While Rosmah had not refuted Deepak’s allegation, she wrote in her biography that she played no direct role in Altantuya’s murder.

Question of motive

“Taken at face value, such revelations may speak to the possible motive for the events that led to the demise of Altantuya Shaariibuu,” said Leong.

He stressed that the question of motive had been unsatisfactorily dealt with when two police officers were found guilty by the High Court of murdering Altantuya. The third accused Abdul Razak Baginda, a close associate of Najib, had been acquitted.

“The High Court stated: ‘Whatever his motive was, it is a matter of law that the ‘motive’ although relevant has never been the essential to constitute murder’,” quoted Leong.

But Leong pointed out that motive might be important in cases where there was doubt as to whether a person had the intention to commit a crime, or where there were questions as to whether there might be more people connected with or involved in the crime, and the nature or extent of such connection or involvement.