Najib: I know nothing about it – Malaysiakini

Jul 5, 08 4:36pm

Najib Abdul Razak has denied speculations that he was behind the retraction of private investigator P Balasubramaniam’s first statutory declaration (SD) which had linked him with a murdered Mongolian woman.

MCPX

“I have no knowledge of anything. I know nothing about him,” he told reporters when asked on the matter in Pekan today.

In the first SD made public on Thursday, Balasubramaniam claimed he was told that Najib had a sexual relationship with the woman and that the DPM had introduced the Mongolian to his aide, Abdul Razak Baginda.

However, the private eye retracted all parts linking Najib to the woman in his second SD made the following day.

As at 4pm today, Malaysiakini learns that Bala and his family had ‘gone missing’ and that his cousin was contemplating filing a ‘missing person’ report with the police.

At the Pahang event, Najib also said that Malaysian politics was degenerating to a level of being dirty with the opposition using slander and statutory declaration to achieve their political objectives.

He charged that the opposition was inclined to make fools of the rule of law and politicise cases currently being tried in court to change people’s perception towards government leaders.

“I mention this as a principle, meaning if we love our country we must realise that to build a country like Malaysia is not something easy. Don’t we do something that can destroy what we have done.

“Secondly, the rule of law is very important. Don’t we talk about law of the jungle and so on but we ourselves are not practising it,” he was quoted in a Bernama report.

Lots of assumptions

Najib said slander was not something new in politics but the information technology era had enabled slander to spread wider and quicker.

On the trend of making sworn declaration to run down leaders, Najib said: “They are undermining legal provisions because they are not afraid. Perhaps, they have certain motives and intentions. Perhaps also they get some rewards. Lots of assumptions we can make.”

Commenting on the initial allegations against him in Balasubramaniam’s first SD, Najib said he was leaving it to the authorities whether to take action.

“This (the first statutory declaration) should not have happened. I regret this thing happened and it is because firstly a case is ongoing in court. Should the same happen in other countries, action would surely be taken against them because it is subjudice touching on a case still being tried in court.

“My regret was there were opposition leaders involved in the press conference touching on a case still ongoing in court. The case was serious involving the fate of three people facing a very serious charge. Why would we want to inject political elements and so on?” he said.

Asked whether Balasubramaniam’s statutory declaration had tarnished his image, Najib said: “I have to face it. What can I do when they have such an intention.

“I have to accept that in Malaysian politics it is okay to play dirty, make fools of the law as long as their objectives are achieved,” he said.

Explosive claims linking Najib to Altantuya – Malaysiakini

Soon Li Tsin | Jul 3, 08 1:00pm

Private investigator P Balasubramaniam has made shocking claims that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had links with murdered Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.

MCPX

He revealed that Najib had also informed his close associate Abdul Razak Baginda that Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan was ‘taking care’ of the murder case which implicated Abdul Razak.

He further revealed that his evidence linking Najib to the murdered Mongolian was removed by the police and prosecutors during the murder trial – a move seen to protect the DPM

These shocking revelations were made by Balasubramaniam in a statutory declaration which he filed on July 1 and was revealed by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim in a packed press conference this morning.

Balasubramaniam was the PI hired by Abdul Razak to ‘handle’ Altantuya, who had apparently come over to Malaysia in 2006 to settle some issues with Abdul Razak.

Soon after Altantuya was found murdered in an isolated site in Shah Alam, Selangor.

‘Matter will be resolved … be cool’

In the statutory declaration, Balasubramaniam said he was told by Abdul Razak on Najib’s links with Altantuya. These include:

• Abdul Razak had been introduced to Altantuya by Najib at a diamond exhibition in Singapore.

• Najib informed Abdul Razak that he had sexual encounters with Altantuya and that she was partial to anal intercourse.

• Najib wanted Abdul Razak to look after Altantuya as he did not want her to harass him since he was now the DPM.

• Najib, Abdul Razak and Altantuya had all been together at a dinner in Paris.

• Altantuya wanted money from Abdul Razak as she felt she was entitled to a USD$500,000.00 commission on a submarine deal she assisted with in Paris.

Meanwhile, during the course of his investigation, Balasubramiam said Altantuya made some disclosures including:

• She met Abdul Razak in Singapore with Najib.

• She also met Abdul Razak and Najib at a dinner in Paris.

• She was promised a sum of USD$500,000.00 as commission for assisting in a submarine deal in Paris.

• Abdul Razak Baginda had initially bought her a house in Mongolia but her brother had refinanced it and she needed money to redeem it.

• Her mother was ill and she needed money to pay for her treatment.

• Abdul Razak had married her in Korea as her mother is Korean whilst her father is a Mongolian/Chinese mix.

• Since Balasubramaniam disallowed her from meeting Abdul Razak, she hoped that he could arrange for her to meet Najib instead

The former special branch officer also revealed that Abdul Razak had SMSed Najib on the day he was arrested over Altantuya’s killing and had received a reply stating, “I am seeing IGP at 11.00 am today … matter will be solved … be cool”, from Najib indicating that the matter will be taken care by the IGP.

Details that implicate Najib

According to Balasubramaniam, he had informed all of these to the police and the prosecution team when they took his statement but was surprised that all mention of Najib were eventually removed from the police statement which he reluctantly signed.

Asked why he signed the police statement if it did not contain details that implicate Najib, he said he did so under duress.

“If you have experience in the cell, you will definitely sign the statement. I wanted to go out, I have three children.

“For no reason they put me in the lock up Why was I arrested when they can just call me in to take a statement from me,” he said.

His lawyer Americk Singh Sidhu (right in photo) told reporters that the reason why Balasubramaniam made the statutory declaration two days ago was because the prosecution has wrapped up their case against Abdul Razak without raising his revelations.

Balasubramaniam who was the first prosecution witness in the trial, was not asked about Altantuya’s connection with Najib when the hearings began in June last year.

“He was waiting for prosecution to ask but they never did so that’s the reason why he’s surprised and that’s why he came up with the statutory declaration.

“This press conference is to bring into light the available evidence and to tell the police and prosecution that Balasubramaniam is at their disposal at anytime,” Americk said.

Americk stressed that the statutory declaration is not a statement of the truth but a statement of what was said to him by Abdul Razak and Altantuya.

“We’re not saying what he heard is absolute gospel, this must be distinguished. Balasubramaniam is not in the position to determine what is true or not,” he said.

Najib had previously said that he never knew and had never met Altantuya.

Frenzy of conspiracy theories

Meanwhile, Anwar said that it was evident that the police and the prosecution team, especially IGP Musa Hassan and Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail, have hidden relevant information in the Altantuya murder case.

He was worried that they would do the same in the ongoing probe into the sodomy allegation made against him by his former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Last Saturday, Saiful lodged a police report alleging that Anwar had sodomised him which sparked of a frenzy of conspiracy theories among the public especially after photos of the former with Najib’s special officer Khairil Anas Yusof surfaced online.

“Najib believes that I am doing this (to bring him down) which is not true. He fears that I would continue to use the Altantuya case to embarrass him and lead to his downfall.

“That’s why I suggested that I strongly believe that the AG, IGP and Najib are involved in these new attacks against me,” he said.

Two days ago, Anwar lodged a report against Musa and Gani for fabricating evidence in his trials 10 years ago.

Pressed whether he had more concrete evidence suggesting actual links between Najib and Altantuya, Anwar answered in the affirmative.

“We will adduce further evidence soon. This is not the end. I just want to test not only the nerve but the commitment by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that everything should be (professionally investigated).

“I want to reiterate. There is nothing personal here. I have evidence, I will submit it, be it evidence against Najib or Abdullah,” he added.

Anwar took the opportunity to point out that he has been informed that mainstream media have been told to black out negative news mentioning Najib.

“We will see tonight whether his name will appear in the news tonight. If it does not appear, it shows that all top level officials are relieved from any offences and those who do not like Umno and Barisan Nasional will be made to look like criminals,” he asserted.