17 minutes
KUALA LUMPUR: The application for leave by the late private investigator P. Balasubramaniam’s wife to initiate comtempt of court proceeding against lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Baling MP Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim and a medical doctor will be heard on March 8.
High Court judge Datuk Azimah Omar set the date in chambers in the presence of lawyer Americk Singh Sidhu, representing Balasubramaniam’s widow, A. Santamil Selvi.
Santamil Selvi filed the application on Oct 31 last year, claiming that the three respondents had prevented businessman J. Deepak from being questioned on the affidavit which he had submitted together with the defence statement in her suit.
She claimed that Muhammad Shafee, who had represented Deepak in the case, had intentionally and falsely informed the court that Deepak was not able to attend court for questioning as the businessman was sick and a copy of his medical report by a government hospital was submitted to the court.
The proceeding, which was supposed to be on March 19 last year was postponed to March 27 the same year, but was postponed again to April 13 after Muhammad Shafee produced a medical report which was issued by the third respondent.
Santamil Selvi also claimed that Deepak had lodged a police report that Muhammad Shafee, Abdul Azeez and the doctor had conspired to prevent him from attending the court proceeding by producing a false medical report.
In an affidavit that was filed together with the application, she claimed that Deepak was prevented from attending the court proceeding to avoid him from telling the truth on the involvement of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib ABdul Razak, who was named a defendant in her suit.
In the statement of claim, Santamil Selvi and her three children – B. Kishen, B. Menaga and B. Reeshi – claimed that they had to move to India in exile due to the second statutory declaration made by Bala over the murder of the Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu and said they stayed in India for 56 months from July 4, 2008.
They are seeking RM840,000 in damages, which includes the rental of an apartment in Chennai, India, school fees and the loss of income as a kindergarten teacher, housing loans, transportation costs, general and special damages and costs.
Balasubramaniam, also known as P.I Bala, was the key witness in the murder trial involving Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006.
He died of a heart attack on March 15, 2013, a few weeks after returning from India. — Bernama
