4 theSun | FRIDAY FEBRUARY 13 2009

news without borders

Facts in RPK’s article ‘made up’, says cop

by Tan Yi Liang
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: An investigating of-
ficer in the Altantuya murder yesterday
told the sessions court hearing the sedi-
tion trial of Malaysia-Today.net editor
Raja Petra Kamarudin that he assumed
statements made by RPK in his Let’s
send the Altantuya murderers to hell
article were made up.
When cross-examined by lead de-
fence counsel Gobind Singh Deo, Supt
Gan Tack Guan (pix) admitted he had
assumed the facts in the article relating
to letters allegedly written by Deputy
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak were
“made up”.
Gobind: How did you know
if Najib did not write
these letters given that
you never asked him or
questioned any witnesses
from the embassies over
the matter?
Gan: It is true that I did no
investigation. The facts
arose on Raja Petra’s
website. The investiga-
tion found there were
no witnesses who came
forward, so I assumed the facts were
made up because I read it on Malaysia
Today.
Gobind: You did not ask Najib or inves-
tigate these people?
Gan: I assumed the facts
were made up.
Gobind: I put it to you that
your police report is a false
report because you said that
it is made up, not that you
assumed that it is made up.
Earlier, when ques-
tioned by Gobind over
the existence of a letter
allegedly by Najib granting
Altantuya a Malaysian visa,
Gan said he did not find any
evidence of such a letter.
Gan said he believed the letter was
made up because he was the supervisor
in the Altantuya case and did not come
across it, and no witness spoke of it.
Gobind: Did you or your officers at any
time take statements from officials at the
Malaysian embassies in Mongolia, Beijing,
France and the United Kingdom?
Gan: No.
To a suggestion by Gobind that the
letter from Najib was not investigated
by Gan, the policeman replied that he
had not investigated it, and got the facts
from Raja Petra’s article.
Gan, who was then asked about a
purported photograph showing Najib and
Altantuya at a dinner in Singapore which
Altantuya’s cousin, Burmaa Oyuchinmeg
claimed to have seen, admitted that he
had asked for a copy of the photo from
Oyuchinmeg but had not conducted any
further investigation as to its existence
as she “could not produce it”.
Gobind’s line of questioning had
earlier drawn objections from deputy
public prosecutor Ishak Mohd Yusoff,
who challenged the relevance of the
Altantuya murder trial and the police
theory to Raja Petra’s sedition trial.
Sessions judge Rozina Ayob, who
had allowed Ishak’s objection, stopped
an attempt by Gobind to allow Gan to
refer to the notes of the proceedings
from the Altantuya murder trial, as they
had yet to be certified.
Gobind later told theSun that the
judge asked him to obtain certification
of the notes of the proceedings before
showing the documents to Gan.
The hearing continues on April 23.

‘Political fanaticism a worrying trend’

DAP alleges power abuse by MB in report to MACC
by Humayun Kabir
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
IPOH: Perak DAP yesterday
lodged a report with the Malay-
sian Anti-Corruption Commis-
sion (MACC) alleging that the
appointment of three special
advisers and a state information
chairman with executive coun-
cillor status on Wednesday by
Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry
Abdul Kadir is illegal and a mis-
use of public funds.
State DAP secretary Nga
Kor Ming lodged the report at
11.15am, accompanied by state
party chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo
Ham and other party leaders.
“It is against the state consti-
tution to appoint these people
with executive councillor status
without getting the consent of
Sultan Azlan Shah,” Nga said.
Yesterday, Zambry had an-
nounced in a press conference
that he had appointed Gerakan
deputy president Datuk Chang Ko
Youn as special adviser for Chinese
affairs and MIC vice-president
Datuk S. Veerasingam as special
adviser for Indian affairs.
Both Chang, 52, and Veeras-
ingam, 67, were defeated in the
March 8 general election for
the state seats of Beruas and
Sungkai respectively.
Zambry also appointed Batu
Kurau assemblyman Datuk
Mohd Najmuddin Ellias ,45, as
special adviser for Islamic affairs
and Pengkalan Baru assembly-
man Datuk Hamidi Abu Bakar as
the state information chief.
Nga said the status of ex-
ecutive councillor should only be
given to elected assemblymen
and both Chang or Veerasingam
are “electoral losers”.
“Furthermore, these four
were appointed without the
consent of Tuanku and are a
waste of public funds,” he said.
“An estimated RM960,000
per year have to be spent on
each of these four appointees.
This is unnecessary expenditure
when the country is facing an
economic crisis.”
In his MACC report, Nga said
each appointee would get a
monthly salary and allowance
of RM15,000, a yearly holiday
allowance of RM20,000, a chauf-
feur-driven car and an annual
clothing allowance of RM3,500.
A special officer and secre-
tary would be engaged to assist
the four in their official duties.
When contacted by mobile
phone, Zambry said: “Let him
(Nga) do it!”
Asked to comment further,
Zambry said he has to first read
the MACC report before he can
comment on it.
BATU PAHAT: The political fanaticism which has boiled into street
demonstrations and a plan to sue a ruler is a worrying trend, Unity,
Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Mohd Shafie Apdal said.
He said taking legal action against Sultan Azlan Shah for swearing
in a new Perak mentri besar was unwarranted as the monarch
was a revered institution among the Malays. “Although the Sultan
can be charged in his personal capacity there are other factors
which should be considered. The Sultan should not be blamed for
the political development which has worked in BN’s favour.”
Nine years, whipping for having Ecstasy
SHAH ALAM: A car accessories shop assistant was sentenced to
nine years’ jail and ordered to be given 10 strokes of the rotan by
the High Court yesterday after he pleaded guilty to an amended
charge of possessing 4,700 Ecstasy pills two years ago. Judge
Datuk Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad, in passing sentence on
Chin Kek Shan, 25, said: “I’m giving you another chance to repent
and not repeat the offence.” The offence under section 12 of the
Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 carries a jail term of five to 20 years
and at least 10 strokes of the rotan. – Bernama