Is Najib still tenable as prime minister?

Is Najib still tenable as prime minister?

By Chua Jui Meng

DEEPAK Jaikishan’s shocking and damning revelations of his ties with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and wife Rosmah Mansor is serious and embarrassing to Malaysia.

Deepak indirectly exposes Najib and Rosmah’s link with the murder case of Mongolian interpreter Altantuya Shaariibuu via his involvement in private investigator P. Balasubramaniam (PI Bala)’s statutory declarations.

Deepak also said his mistake was to jump in to help friends – referring to Najib, who was then a defence minister, and his wife.

The ongoing RM6.7 billion scandalous purchase of two second-hand French-made Scorpene submarines which is being investigated by a French court is also damaging Najib and Malaysia.

Deepak’s timing to spill the beans on Najib and Rosmah is also very suspicious – coming a day before Najib is scheduled to deliver his presidential address at the opening of an annual Umno General Assembly.

The immediate question is: Who has managed to get Deepak to expose Najib and Rosmah?

It can be answered with a question: Who stands to gain the most in toppling the Umno president?

It will be amazing that Najib is able to face his Umno central delegates without any feeling of embarrassment.

How can Najib’s conscience not be pricked with all the ongoing scandals exposed is mind boggling.

How can Umno members, the enforcers of law and Malaysians in general ignore such strong accusations against this man?

The federal administration is certainly undergoing a crisis of sorts, and possibly a breakdown, when it cannot swiftly and confidently resolve wrong doings afflicting the country, especially when it concerns public accountability, corruption and crime.

Public confidence is therefore eroded, and the socio-economic fabric of the nation is shaken.

We are witnessing a situation where all the institutions of a government are unable to get their priorities right and fears the political leaders of the ruling coalition.

The Barisan Nasional (BN)’s current mandate to govern ends on April 28, 2013, with the automatic dissolution of the 222-seat Parliament.

The Election Commission will then have 60 days to conduct the 13^th General Election.

Malaysians will have to make an honest and accurate assessment of the Umno-led BN’s 55-year hold on power and its performance.

To all Malaysians, please treat the next general election seriously because your ballots will decide your future and the welfare of your children and future generations.

Reproduced below are PI Bala’s original (1^st statutory declaration), a report on Deepak spilling the beans on Najib and Rosmah, and a background story on the Altantuya murder:

This is PI Bala’s original statutory declaration:

STATUTORY DECLARATION

I, Balasubramaniam a/l Perumal (NRIC NO: xxxxxx-xx-6235)  a Malaysian Citizen of full age and residing at [deleted], Selangor, do solemly and sincerely declare as follows :-

1. I have been a police officer with the Royal Malaysian Police Force having joined as a constable in 1981 attached to the Police Field Force. I was then promoted to the rank of lance corporal and finally resigned from the Police Force in 1998 when I was with the Special Branch.

2. I have been working as a freelance Private Investigator since I left the Police Force.

3. Sometime in June or July 2006, I was employed by Abdul Razak Baginda for a period of 10 days to look after him at his office at the Bangunan Getah Asli, Jalan Ampang, between the hours of 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. each working day as apparently he was experiencing disturbances from a third party.

4. I resigned from this job after 2 ½ days as I was not receiving any proper instructions.

5. I was however re-employed by Abdul Razak Baginda on the 05-10-2006 as he had apparently received a harassing phone call from a Chinese man calling himself ASP Tan who had threatened him to pay his debts. I later found out this gentleman was in fact a private investigator called Ang who was employed by a Mongolian woman called Altantuya Shaariibuu.

6. Abdul Razak Baginda was concerned that a person by the name of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian woman, was behind this threat and that she would be arriving in Malaysia very soon to try and contact him.

7. Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that he was concerned by this as he had been advised that Altantuya Shaariibuu had been given some powers by a Mongolian ‘bomoh’ and that he could never look her in the face because of this.

8. When I enquired as to who this Mongolian woman was, Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that she was a friend of his who had been introduced to him by a VIP and who asked him to look after her financially.

9. I advised him to lodge a police report concerning the threatening phone call he had received from the Chinese man known as ASP Tan but he refused to do so as he informed me there were some high profile people involved.

10. Abdul Razak Baginda further told me that Altantuya Shaariibuu was a great liar and good in convincing people. She was supposed to have been very demanding financially and that he had even financed a property for her in Mongolia.

11. Abdul Razak Baginda then let me listen to some voice messages on his handphone asking him to pay what was due otherwise he would be harmed and his daughter harassed.

12. I was therefore supposed to protect his daughter Rowena as well.

13. On the 09.10.2006, I received a phone call from Abdul Razak Baginda at about 9.30 a.m. informing me that Altantuya was in his office and he wanted me there immediately. As I was in the midst of a surveillance, I sent my assistant Suras to Abdul Razak Baginda’s office and I followed a little later. Suras managed to control the situation and had persuaded Altantuya and her two friends to leave the premises. However Altantuya left a note written on some Hotel Malaya note paper, in English, asking Abdul Razak Baginda to call her on her handphone (number given) and wrote down her room number as well.

14. Altantuya had introduced herself to Suras as ‘Aminah’ and had informed Suras she was there to see her boyfriend Abdul Razak Baginda.

15. These 3 Mongolian girls however returned to Abdul Razak Baginda’s office at the Bangunan Getah Asli, Jalan Ampang again, the next day at about 12.00 noon. They did not enter the building but again informed Suras that they wanted to meet Aminah’s boyfriend, Abdul Razak Baginda.

16. On the 11.10.2006, Aminah returned to Abdul Razak Baginda’s office on her own and gave me a note to pass to him, which I did. Abdul Razak Baginda showed me the note, which basically asked him to call her urgently.

17. I suggested to Abdul Razak Baginda that perhaps it may be wise to arrange for Aminah to be arrested if she harassed him further, but he declined as he felt she would have to return to Mongolia as soon as her cash ran out.

18. In the meantime I had arranged for Suras to perform surveillance on Hotel Malaya to monitor the movements of these 3 Mongolian girls, but they recognized him. Apparently they become friends with Suras after that and he ended up spending a few nights in their hotel room.

19. When Abdul Razak Baginda discovered Suras was becoming close to Aminah he asked me to pull him out from Hotel Malaya.

20. On the 14.10.2006, Aminah turned up at Abdul Razak Baginda’s house in Damansara Heights when I was not there. Abdul Razak Baginda called me on my handphone to inform me of this so I rushed back to his house. As I arrived, I noticed Aminah outside the front gates shouting “Razak, bastard, come out from the house”. I tried to calm her down but couldn’t so I called the police who arrived in 2 patrol cars. I explained the situation to the police, who took her away to the Brickfields police station.

21. I followed the patrol cars to Brickfields police station in a taxi. I called Abdul Razak Baginda and his lawyer Dirren to lodge a police report but they refused.

22. When I was at the Brickfields police station, Aminah’s own Private Investigator, one Mr. Ang arrived and we had a discussion. I was told to deliver a demand to Abdul Razak Baginda for USD$500,000.00 and 3 tickets to Mongolia, apparently as commission owed to Aminah from a deal in Paris.

23. As Aminah had calmed down at this stage, a policewoman at the Brickfields police station advised me to leave and settle the matter amicably.

24. I duly informed Abdul Razak Baginda of the demands Aminah had made and told him I was disappointed that no one wanted to back me up in lodging a police report. We had a long discussion about the situation when I expressed a desire to pull out of this assignment.

25. During this discussion and in an attempt to persuade me to continue my employment with him, Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that :-

25.1. He had been introduced to Aminah by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at a diamond exhibition in Singapore.

25.2. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak informed Abdul Razak Baginda that he had a sexual relationship with Aminah and that she was susceptible to anal intercourse.

25.3. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wanted Abdul Razak Baginda to look after Aminah as he did not want her to harass him since he was now the Deputy Prime Minister.

25.4. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Abdul Razak Baginda and Aminah had all been together at a dinner in Paris.

25.5. Aminah wanted money from him as she felt she was entitled to a USD$500,000.00 commission on a submarine deal she assisted with in Paris.

26. On the 19.10.2006, I arrived at Abdul Razak Baginda’s house in Damansara Heights to begin my night duty. I had parked my car outside as usual. I saw a yellow Proton Perdana taxi pass by with 3 ladies inside, one of whom was Aminah. The taxi did a U-turn and stopped in front of the house where these ladies rolled down the window and wished me ‘Happy Deepavali’. The taxi then left.

27. About 20 minutes later the taxi returned with only Aminah in it. She got out of the taxi and walked towards me and started talking to me. I sent an SMS to Abdul Razak Baginda informing him “Aminah was here”. I received an SMS from Razak instructing me to “delay her until my man comes”.

28. Whist I was talking to Aminah, she informed me of the following :-

28.1. That she met Abdul Razak Baginda in Singapore with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

28.2. That she had also met Abdul Razak Baginda and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at a dinner in Paris.

28.3. That she was promised a sum of USD$500,000.00 as commission for assisting in a Submarine deal in Paris.

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

28.5. That her mother was ill and she needed money to pay for her treatment.

28.6. That Abdul Razak Baginda had married her in Korea as her mother is Korean whilst her father was a Mongolian/Chinese mix.

28.7. That if I wouldn’t allow her to see Abdul Razak Baginda, would I be able to arrange for her to see Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

29. After talking to Aminah for about 15 minutes, a red Proton Aeroback arrived with a woman and two men. I now know the woman to be Lance Corporal Rohaniza and the men, Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azahar. They were all in plain clothes. Azilah walked towards me while the other two stayed in the car.

30. Azilah asked me whether the woman was Aminah and I said ‘Yes’. He then walked off and made a few calls on his handphone. After 10 minutes another vehicle, a blue Proton Saga, driven by a Malay man, passed by slowly. The driver’s window had been wound down and the driver was looking at us.

31. Azilah then informed me they would be taking Aminah away. I informed Aminah they were arresting her. The other two persons then got out of the red Proton and exchanged seats so that Lance Corporal Rohaniza and Aminah were in the back while the two men were in the front. They drove off and that is the last I ever saw of Aminah.

32. Abdul Razak Baginda was not at home when all this occurred.

33. After the 19.10.2006, I continued to work for Abdul Razak Baginda at his house in Damansara Heights from 7.00 p.m. to 8.00 a.m. the next morning, as he had been receiving threatening text messages from a woman called ‘Amy’ who was apparently ‘Aminah’s’ cousin in Mongolia.

34. On the night of the 20.10.2006, both of Aminah’s girlfriends turned up at Abdul Razak Baginda’s house enquiring where Aminah was. I informed them she had been arrested the night before.

35. A couple of nights later, these two Mongolian girls, Mr. Ang and another Mongolian girl called ‘Amy’ turned up at Abdul Razak Baginda’s house looking for Aminah as they appeared to be convinced she was being held in the house.

36. A commotion began so I called the police who arrived shortly thereafter in a patrol car. Another patrol car arrived a short while later in which was the investigating officer from the Dang Wangi Police Station who was in charge of the missing persons report lodged by one of the Mongolians girls, I believe was Amy.

37. I called Abdul Razak Baginda who was at home to inform him of the events taking place at his front gate. He then called DSP Musa Safri and called me back informing me that Musa Safri would be calling my handphone and I was to pass the phone to the Inspector from the Dang Wangi Police Station.

38. I then received a call on my handphone from Musa Safri and duly handed the phone to the Dang Wangi Inspector. The conversation lasted 3 – 4 minutes after which he told the girls to disperse and to go to see him the next day.

39. On or about the 24.10.2006, Abdul Razak Baginda instructed me to accompany him to the Brickfields Police Station as he had been advised to lodge a police report about the harassment he was receiving from these Mongolian girls.

40. Before this, Amy had sent me an SMS informing me she was going to Thailand to lodge a report with the Mongolian consulate there regarding Aminah’s disappearance. Apparently she had sent the same SMS to Abdul Razak Baginda. This is why he told me he had been advised to lodge a police report.

41. Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that DPS Musa Safri had introduced him to one DSP Idris, the head of the Criminal division, Brickfields Police Station, and that Idris had referred him to ASP Tonny.

42. When Abdul Razak Baginda had lodged his police report at Brickfields Police Station, in front of ASP Tonny, he was asked to make a statement but he refused as he said he was leaving for overseas. He did however promise to prepare a statement and hand ASP Tonny a thumb drive. I know that this was not done as ASP Tonny told me.

43. However ASP Tonny asked me the next day to provide my statement instead and so I did.

44. I stopped working for Abdul Razak Baginda on the 26.10.2006 as this was the day he left for Hong Kong on his own.

45. In mid-November 2006, I received a phone call from ASP Tonny from the IPK Jalan Hang Tuah asking me to see him regarding Aminah’s case. When I arrived there I was immediately arrested under S.506 of the Penal Code for Criminal intimidation.

46. I was then placed in the lock up and remanded for 5 days. On the third day I was released on police bail.

47. At the end of November 2006, the D9 department of the IPK sent a detective to my house to escort me to the IPK Jalan Hang Tuah. When I arrived, I was told I was being arrested under S.302 of the Penal Code for murder. I was put in the lock up and remanded for 7 days.

48. I was transported to Bukit Aman where I was interrogated and questioned about an SMS I had received from Abdul Razak Baginda on the 19.10.2006, which read “delay her until my man arrives”. They had apparently retrieved this message from Abdul Razak Baginda’s handphone.

49. They then proceeded to record my statement from 8.30 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. every day for 7 consecutive days. I told them all I knew including everything Abdul Razak Baginda and Aminah had told me about their relationships with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak but when I came to sign my statement these details had been left out.

50. I have given evidence in the trial of Azilah, Sirul and Abdul Razak Baginda at the Shah Alam High Court. The prosecutor did not ask me any questions in respect of Aminah’s relationship with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak or of the phone call I received from DSP Musa Safri, whom I believe was the ADC for Datuk Seri Najib Razak and/or his wife.

51. On the day Abdul Razak Baginda was arrested, I was with him at his lawyers office at 6.30 a.m. Abdul Razak Baginda informed us that he had sent Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak an SMS the evening before as he refused to believe he was to be arrested, but had not received a response.

52. Shortly thereafter, at about 7.30 a.m., Abdul Razak Baginda received an SMS from Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and showed, this message to both myself and his lawyer. This message read as follows :- “I am seeing IGP at 11.00 a.m. today …… matter will be solved … be cool”.

53. I have been made to understand that Abdul Razak Baginda was arrested the same morning at his office in the Bangunan Getah Asli, Jalan Ampang.

54. The purpose of this Statutory declaration is to :-

54.1. State my disappointment at the standard of investigations conducted by the authorities into the circumstances surrounding the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.

54.2. Bring to the notice of the relevant authorities the strong possibility that there are individuals other than the 3 accused who must have played a role in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.

54.3. Persuade the relevant authorities to reopen their investigations into this case immediately so that any fresh evidence may be presented to the Court prior to submissions at the end of the prosecutions case.

54.4. Emphasize the fact that having been a member of the Royal Malaysian Police Force for 17 years I am absolutely certain no police officer would shoot someone in the head and blow up their body without receiving specific instructions from their superiors first.

54.5. Express my concern that should the defence not be called in the said murder trial, the accused, Azilah and Sirul will not have to swear on oath and testify as to the instructions they received and from whom they were given.

55. And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same be true and by virtue of the provisions of the Statutory Declaration Act 1960.

SUBCRIBED and solemnly )

declared by the abovenamed )

Balasubramaniam a/l Perumal ]

this 1st day of July 2008 )

Before me,

………………………………….

Commissioner for Oath

Kuala Lumpur

Wednesday, 28 November 2012 07:52

'Carpetman' linked to Altantuya trial tells all to Harakahdaily

A controversial figure in the saga of P Balasubramaniam, the private investigator who issued a damning statutory declaration implicating prime minister Najib Razak of an affair with murdered Mongolian citizen Altantuya Shaariibuu only to retract it the next day, has decided to come clean on his much talked relationship with Najib's family.
Deepak Jaikishan (pic) contacted Harakahdaily to tell his story, by first confirming speculation of his ties with Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor.
“I do know Datuk Seri [Najib] and Puan Seri [Rosmah]. I am a carpet supplier and involved in business. Where there is business opportunity, we ask for their support,” he told Harakahdaily during an interview at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
Deepak claimed he knew Rosmah when she visited his shop in Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman back in 2004 or 2005, when Najib was still the Defence minister.
Asked why his person was the subject of intense discussion, Deepak admitted that it had to do with Bala’s case.
“Yes, I sense it too [being subject of talk]. May be my mistake is helping in the case of Bala, getting involved in Bala’s case to help the family of the prime minister. That was when I became famous.I don't like it, I'd like to be low profile,” said Deepak, who added that being low profile made it easier to business in Malaysia.
Deepak described his involvement in Bala’s case akin to rescuing a friend drowning in a swimming pool.
“So I jumped into the pool to help a friend. I felt at that time, I was the only one (they) sought after for help. It's not that I helped directly. The lawyer was theirs, I just helped in coordinating,” he said, who quickly replied "Najib's family" when asked whom he meant by 'theirs'.
Deepak said as he had close ties with Najib and Rosmah, he did not feel that getting involved in the Altantuya case was burdensome.
'My mistake'
Deepak said he did not know Bala personally and was introduced to him by a police friend.
“That was my mistake. If it happens again, I would not swim, when I see you drowning, I will let you drown. I cannot help when people don't appreciate what we did," Deepak lamented.
Bala, who was the private detective hired by Abdul Razak Baginda, the former aide of Najib who was acquitted by the court of murdering Altantuya, issued a statutory declaration on July 3, 2008, before retracting it the next day.
Not long after, he fled the country, saying he feared for his life and his family's safety.
In 2009, Bala claimed he had been paid RM5 million by Deepak to retract his first statutory declaration.
Deepak said Bala was not angry at him, but at those who failed to keep their promise to Bala.
Asked on his present relationship with Najib, Deepak said he was being faulted for not being able to fulfill all of Bala’s demands.
“I think after what took place, they had wanted to silence me. The way they treated me was like a friend who helped another friend. The reward they gave was sending over 50 officers to visit when Bala’s case was exposed.... At that time, Najib was the sitting prime minister. 50 enforcers came in five or six lorries,” he said.
Recalling the treatment accorded to him, Deepak said he then sent a message that he should ignored his “drowning” friend.
“I am just interested to clean my name. I am not involved in business with them. For over two years, no business with them, but the story still come out,” added Deepak.
For Deepak, the end would only come once Altantuya received a just trial.
“I don’t want to get involved. It’s clear that my involvement that night was just to help a friend and the statutory declaration was made by their lawyer," said Deepak regretfully.
-Harakahdaily

Wednesday, 07 November 2012 09:26

'WHO KILLED ALTANTUYA' may well enter the Worlds's Guinness Book of Records

Written by  Terracotta, Kuala Lumpur

If BN wants to ride the storms building up as we countdown to our mother-of-elections, GE 13, it must solve the mysteries surrounding the brutal slaying of a foreign national – and a mother and daughter she happens to be.
So far none within the rank and files of BN have had the courage to echo with all concerned citizens the piercing questions that remain shrouded in swaddles of political intrigue and mystery:
Why was a lone woman, who was helpless in the powerful arms of slayers so brutally annihilated with C4?
How come we do not know and neither do the Palace of Justice want to unravel as to who authorized the use of military grade explosive on a single, lone mother?
Who gave the marching orders for the diligent Immigration staff to delete all entry and egress records of a visitor to our nation who came here without the slightest clue of what dangers lay ahead of her given the plotting mysterious people who would have had a hand in the eventual murder of Altantuya?
How come it has been ruled that motive is not significant to establish the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
These are questions that have asked relentless in public forums and in the alternate media as well as in private conversations, corporate corridors and at warongs all across the country.
But there appear to be dead silence from the corners of the BN fort. No one leader had expressed the importance and the crucial need to seek out answers to these questions.
We only hear members from civil society and the opposition front expressing concerns and begging for honest answers but only end up facings rebuttals and reprimands not to 'politicize' the crime.
It therefore appears set that it does not matter any more why and how this helpless, fragile woman met her death in the hands of a thick plot.

YOKE OF DISGRACE: Betrayal of nation's integrity
Soon we will be marching to the polls demanding many things to change or celebrating with BN for their “promises fulfilled”.
But little do we care that our nation’s hands are stained with murder. Little do we bother that while we are fighting for justice as we court that hope of an opposition victory or celebrating with BN for all that has been – good and bad, these past five over decades, the slaying of a foreign citizen is actually wrapped and sealed in mystery that appears to be coated thick with a political plot.
The truth is, for as long as the people of Malaysia are helpless and unable or could not care-a-less to throw wide open all lids on the murder, BN’s conscience remains guilty.
The least the BN leaders could do is at best to ensure that answers to the long outstanding questions are laid bare.
The day the nation enters the Guinness Book of Records for a murder unresolved, we would have hung a yoke of disgrace permanently on the neck of all Malaysians before the just world of citizens outside our shores.
That then in essence is the biggest treason ever to be committed against a nation by its own leaders.
How come then no one wants to debate this issue or question it? The eerie silence haunts the very soul of this nation making all the over-heating pre-election debates over religion and the religious status of this country mere hogwash.
MAILBAG

Deepak to reveal more dirt from under the carpet

Teoh El Sen

 | November 29, 2012

Controversial businessman Deepak Jaikishan, however, wants protection for himself as he would be talking about the 'prime minister and his family'.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QJaAcBA_E5 

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Businessman Deepak Jaikishan, who said he “can’t get the ghost of Altantuya out of me”, yesterday promised to reveal more details on the behind-the-scenes dealings surrounding the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.

But said that he required protection for himself first as he would be talking about the “prime minister and his family”.

In a press conference he called yesterday, Deepak, a well-connected carpet dealer, said he is appearing now to clear his conscience as “the ghost of Altantuya continues to haunt” him.

He said that he had suffered in his business and mentally after he got himself involved with arranging for the second Statutory Declaration (SD) for private investigator P Balasubramaniam on the behest of a “female friend”.

The second SD reversed an earlier one which had directly linked prime minister Najib Tun Razak to the Altantuya murder.

“I can’t get the ghost of Altantuya out of me. It is bothering me. I want to come clean, I want to apologise to her that I was trying to conceal the fact that I was involved in facilitating the second SD,” he said.

“I want justice for her. I want the people responsible to be incriminated, given appropriate sentences. Whoever actually killed her and instructed it, they must take the responsibility.”

When asked if he had direct knowledge of who instructed the killing, Deepak said he did not.

However, he revealed more details surrounding the reason why he was roped in to help facilitate a second SD in such a hurry.

‘Police have all the evidence’

“Everybody knew there was a second SD, but why was there this urgency for it to be done the next day, and not the next week?”

“The SD was not just about the opposition. There was a concentrated effort of two factions here. You had Bala sitting down with Anwar and you had another faction who didn’t want the people named in the first SD to come to power. They were determined, although they were from different sides, to work together to achieve this. Both had the power to do this,” he said, adding that the other side came from Umno itself.

He said that the side that wanted to push for the second SD and overturn the original SD was the one that protected or ensured that Najib became prime minister.

“I got involved in the second SD to protect the interest of Najib. There is no other logical reason, is there?” he said.

Deepak said that if the police were serious about solving the case, they would be able to. “They have all the evidence already, it’s whether they want to or not.”

He said the faction supporting Najib was not so much worried about the contents of the first SD, but the subsequent repercussions.

“[As a result of the first SD], there were people involved in the actual act… one of these persons was going to come out and admit that he was involved [in the Altantuya incident] and who had instructed him. They [faction supporting Najib] were worried of this repercussion, because they knew this was the next stage,” he said.

In July 2008, Balasubramaniam had gone public with the first SD but withdrew it at another press conference the following day.

Balasubramaniam then produced a second SD, claiming that he had made the first one under duress and fled the country the next day.

‘We have been intimidated’

Balasubramaniam re-emerged on Nov 12, 2009, in the form of a five-part YouTube video interview – believed to be shot in India – retracting his second SD and claiming that he had only made it after being offered RM5 million by Deepak.

Deepak, who only addressed the controversy on April 6, 2011 after whistleblower Raja Petra Kamarudin revived the matter, then described Balasubramaniam as his mere clubbing mate.

In the press briefing yesterday, Deepak said that subsequent to his involvement in 2008, he has been pressured by the “powers that be” to be silent.

“[During 2010 and 2011], I have been raided by various agencies sent by the government to silence me not once but many times. They have taken documents from us. We have been intimidated and kept silent all this while,” he said.

“This was the first time I saw the magnitude of the government machinery coming down on me. I had government officers everywhere – in my bedroom, my office, my factory, my secretary’s office, my father’s room, everywhere.”

Deepak said that he also lost a lot of business deals with the government.

“Other things have happened. There has been a lot of withdrawal and cancellation of contracts and concessions given to us. We had a 20-year contract to build 16 1Malaysia Mara hostels overseas worth RM2 billion. It was suspended,” he said.

He said that he may now take legal action against the government, including the prime minister himself, for terminating the various contracts.

‘I don’t know Muhyiddin’

“We are also looking at the involvement of a particular person, who is not in the government, to claim damages from this person,” he said.

However, when asked if he was referring to Rosmah Mansor, wife of the prime minister, Deepak promptly replied: “I will not comment today. I will give you the documents [later] and we will talk more. I won’t name the person.”

Yesterday, Deepak was also grilled on his reasons for coming out now but denied that it had anything to do with the ongoing Umno annual general assembly.

Asked if he had “switched camps” to support Muhyiddin Yassin to take down Najib, Deepak said that he does not know the deputy prime minister personally.

“Well I have never actually sat down with Muhyiddin and talked to him. I did meet him once at a function, maybe about two or three years ago; aside from that, I have never met him.

“I don’t know him personally, I don’t have his phone number, and honestly after my experience I don’t want to have anything to do with politicians. I’d rather just stick to my business, ” he said.

Deepak said that he had also suffered mentally as a result of his “minimal” involvement, and has lost a lot of weight.

“I used to be a very bubbly person. My father says I have grown from a boy into a worried man,” he said.

He said that following his media interviews in the past few days, he has been asked to resign from the board of 26 companies that he has equity in for his involvement in the Bala controversy.

“The lesson learnt is that it is best to focus on business. No need to get involved in helping politicians in these Bala-type scenarios. It is not worth it at all,” said Deepak.

He added that he would be going on a “long holiday” in Myanmar from Dec 10 to March 11, on his birthday.