EX-RMAF personnel Zaidi Ahmad to testify in MH370 suit

KUALA LUMPUR: Sacked Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) personnel Major Zaidi Ahmad is expected to be among several witnesses called in a civil suit against Malaysia Airlines (MAS), and the Malaysian government over missing flight MH370.

Lawyer Datuk Dr Arunan Selvaraj said that Zaidi would be among the five witnesses to be called by the applicant of the suit during case management next Tuesday (Feb 17).

"Zaidi's insight on the case would help shed some light on what had happened to MH370," he said.

Zaidi was based at the RMAF's Butterworth air base in Penang - where the plane carrying 239 passengers and crew had reportedly flew over before disappearing towards the Indian Ocean.

The former RMAF personnel was sacked from the force in January this year for breaking protocol by revealing problems with the indelible ink used in the May 2013 General Elections.

However, Arunan kept mum on the other witnesses which are expected to be brought forward, which includes an aviation expert.

"The government needs to be transparent on what actually transpired (in the disappearance of MH370)," he told reporters at his office in Jalan Dang Wangi today.

The suit was filed by two underaged children of MH370 passenger Jee Jing Hang, 41, in Oct 31 last year. They are suing MAS for alleged negligence and breach of contract and the other defendants- the Malaysian government, Civil Aviation Department (DCA) Director-General, Immigration Department Director General and Royal Malaysian Air Force chief for alleged negligence.

The plantiffs are seeking damages over the loss of support, mental distress and pain, and breach of duty by the defendants, among others, in a suit believed to be the first to be filed in Malaysia over the missing flight.

Arunan also expressed shock and disappointment over the DCA's announcement that flight MH370 has been classified as "an accident", less than a month before its one year anniversary.

"This is not what the next-of-kin (NOK) want as closure or to move on. They want something tangible," he said.

He also called on the authorities to be more transparent to the NOKs, and proposed that a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) be set up to look into the incident.