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PKR elections heats up

September 22nd, 2010

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As expected Mike Manikavasagam, Gopalakrishnan and Xavier Jayakumar have thrown in their hats into the fray. Another candidate mentioned by Malaysian Insider is Suresh Kumar, an aide to PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim. I think left with Sivarasa to make announcement.

Can expect lots of backstabbing and juicy stories from now till election date. Goes to show these folks are same as (if not worse) that the other coalition.

Read what Gopalakrishnan says:

Hitting out at vice-president R Sivarasa, who is also the Subang MP, Gobalakrishnan accused him of not performing in addressing issues faced by the Indian community.

“I’m not happy with Sivarasa’s leadership. When I raised Indian issues, he never listens to me and he has not served the Indians,” said Gobalakrishnan (below, in dark suit) pointing out that 10 representatives from various divisions in Selangor are backing his bid.

If you have guts, you should tell the shortcomings as it happens. Not when its election time and everyone fighting for post. And remember, people want to hear what you can do, not what other people can’t do.

Meanwhile, the indian candidates seem to be banking on estimated 35% Indian members in PKR. However, its a big “if” whether the members will come out to vote. Secondly, would the vote along racial lines, and if they did, wouldn’t so many candidate split the votes?

Banking on a claimed 35 per cent Indian membership in PKR, the party’s community leaders have launched into a mad dash for the vice-presidencies up for grabs in the ongoing party elections.

Indian leaders in PKR, the source of the membership estimates, claimed the racial breakdown puts them in a strong position to secure at least one of the four posts in contention (a fifth is by appointment). They further asserted that the community’s representation in the party may be as high as half of the 400,000 members.

“With such a huge and lopsided Indian membership in PKR I am confident of winning,” said an Indian leader contesting as vice-president, who requested anonymity. “I am confident Indian members would cross for at least one Indian candidate maybe even two.”

“All I need is some Malay and Chinese votes to clinch a deal,” he said.

To secure the extra support, the Indian hopefuls have also been trading horses with other non-Indian leaders vying for other posts, offering “Indian” in return for “Chinese” or “Malay” backing.

However, the assertions of the disproportionately high Indian membership in PKR has been challenged by some party members and political analysts, who point out that the community constitutes just eight per cent of the country’s population.

The leaders making the claims, however, offered up as examples divisions in Selangor — such as Kapar, Klang and Kota Raja — which have sizeable Malay and Chinese populations but were dominated by Indians.

The contentious numbers have also given the Indian leaders a perceived advantage in the contests.

“We have a head start,” said another vice-presidential hopeful.

Currently, only two vice-presidential candidates — Suresh Kumar, an aide to PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Selangor exco member Dr Xavier Jeyakumar — have declared their candidacy.

Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam said he would contest for spot if PKR divisions nominate him. Two nominations are needed to contest for any of the party’s top posts.

Other Indian PKR leaders are, however, expected to join the fray. Top on that list are Padang Serai MP N. Gobalakrishnan and Subang MP S. Sivarasa.

Other lesser-known Indian candidates are also expected to contest, but PKR sources have dismissed them as “spoilers” out to bargain for posts.

With at least five or six Indian leaders vying for one vice-president’s post, a mad scramble is expected among them.

Some of the group, such as Sivarasa, do not consider themselves as merely representatives of Indian community but instead viewed themselves as representing all Malaysians.

That very principled stand might by their undoing because they are coming under attack from the other Indian PKR leaders for not being “Indian” enough.

“PKR is multi-racial but Indians need representation. They need a leader to speak up for them bravely in the party and outside,” one of the Indian contestants said.

“Sivarasa is not speaking up,” he said while campaigning among PKR Indian members in Ipoh, Perak last week. “I know we are multi-racial but speaking up for your people is basic because Malays and Chinese PKR leaders speak up for their communities.”

“Only our leaders want to be Malaysians but they (Malays and Chinese) are not,” he said.

Jeyakumar has also suffered the “not Indian enough” attacks, after being characterised as being “not [a] good Tamil speaker, don’t know Tamil songs, ignorant of Tamil history, not bold and constantly kowtowing.”

Sivarasa’s Tamil proficiency has improved in response and Xavier, by most counts is a fluent Tamil speaker, but the labels continue to stick and they have to answer for it largely because their progressive styles, which is viewed with suspicion by the conservative Indian base.

But there are many trade-offs to this “Indian vote real Indian” campaign and one is a possible backlash against such a race-centric movement, with Malay and Chinese members voting for candidates like Sivarasa and Xavier in protest.

The other is that the estimated high Indian membership notwithstanding, not all of them — or all PKR members — would come out to vote.

It is also not a foregone conclusion that Indian PKR members would vote for Indian candidates over candidates for other races.

Candidates are estimating that only 20 per cent of the 400,000 PKR members would come out to vote, with their voting patterns still an unknown.

“It is anybody’s guess because this is the first time direct elections are being held,” said a PKR strategist. “We are not sure ourselves but believe the votes would go the way Anwar signals it, if he signals at all.”

Being realists, the PKR Indian leaders who are banking on the “Indian vote Indian” movement are also claiming to be close to Anwar or to have his blessings to contest.

Two big line-ups are likely, PKR leaders said, referring to a rival teams likely to be fielded by deputy presidential rivals Azmin Ali and Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

Both these leaders are said to be searching for the right Indian leaders to be listed in their line-up, with their main consideration the ability of their choices to bring with them Indian votes in the deputy president’s contest.

As of now, Gobalakrishnan and SIvarasa are said to be in Zaid’s camp while Manikavasagam fielded an appearance among the MP’s who have endorsed Azmin but may still shift his allegiance, according to his supporters. Jayakumar has also similarly backed Azmin.

These alliances remain fluid and promises to see a dramatic switching of sides as the battle shapes up.

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More on Banting Murders (iv)

September 17th, 2010

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The story continues today, with few more revelations:

The datukship of the suspect is being investigated by the police, and so far replies from the states indicates no such awards, reports The Star. So, this most likely means its a bogus Datukship.

The main suspect in the murder of cosmetics queen Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya is not a Datuk after all.

Police enquiries in all states to trace who had conferred a Datukship on the 41-year-old drew a blank, sources said.

It is learnt that the suspect had bought the so-called title from a businessman for RM180,000.

The man had promised him that his name would be included on the list of recipients for Datukship.

Apparently, the businessman told the suspect that he was free to use the title following the inclusion of his name on the list.

Sources revealed that police were also looking for the businessman.

Not only that, DAP’s Tony Pua had dismissed claims that the suspects are life-long members of DAP:

He added that Utusan Malaysia also attempted to link DAP with the murder of businesswoman Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and her friends.

“In a report yesterday, Utusan Malaysia quoted a Mohd. Zahid Md. Arip who tried to implicate DAP as being connected, even if remotely to the ghastly murders of Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others,” said Pua.

In the report, Zahid who was a PKR Youth leader who defected to Umno claimed that DAP has been silent on the murder because of the suspects’ ties with the party.

“First of all, the question of DAP not condemning the murders does not arise. The party condemns all crimes, much more so heinous crimes such as the above and we have been at the forefront both in and outside parliament to call for the Royal Malaysian Police to increase their efficiency and effectiveness in fighting crime in this country,” said Pua.

“Secondly and more importantly, it is a disgusting attempt by the Umno-owned newspaper to insinuate and allege through its ‘news’ report that the murder suspects are life-members of DAP, with no attempt at all to confirm the veracity of the allegations,” he added stressing that the suspects are not party members.

Even HINDRAF had denied that the two lawyers are associated with them.

We refer to the above matter and to the Utusan Malay-sia headlines amongst others “Siasatan juga mendapati Datuk itu (an Indian lawyer) pernah memberi bantuan guaman kepada Pertubuhan haram Hindraf dan menjadi ahli seumur hidup sebuah parti politik”.

This statement is a completely untrue, false, malicious and a Seditious statement calculated to tarnish Hindraf, cause disunity among the peaceful Indian and Malay communities in Malaysia and to cause racial disharmony.

Hindraf categorically denies that the lawyer/s implicated in the murder of Susilawati has ever represented Hindraf or any of it’s supporters or had rendered legal assistance to Hindraf at any material time. And neither do we know them or had ever known them.

So, no Datuk, no DAP, no Hindraf. What else left?

Police believe they have built a strong case and so, evidence gathering efforts have stopped for the moment at the farm and river. But police are still guarding the area, said CID Director Datuk Seri Bakri Zinin.

The river has provided about 300 bone fragments so far, according the report below.

The Sungai Panchau may hold more grisly secrets than imagined. Deep beneath its muddy surface are hundreds of human bone fragments, suggesting that it may have been a watery grave for many murder victims.

It is learnt that police found more than 300 human bone fragments from the riverbed, located about four to five kilometres from the farm where the quadruple murders took place.

According to an expert, who has been handling cremations for 20 years, a human body, once burned, would leave behind about 20 to 25 visible bone fragments.

So far till yesterday, nine cases involving the lawyer have been revealed said the police:

Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said there were seven commercial crime cases involving the lawyer, totalling RM7.1mil, since 2005.

“These crimes involved land sale to members of the public, all confined within the district,” he said.

Khalid said two other cases related to the suspect were two missing persons reports and the murder of T. Selvi, 46, who was stabbed to death in front of her house in Taman Cempaka, Banting, in April last year.

Khalid disclosed this to reporters in a press conference after having a dialogue session with local community leaders here.

He accompanied Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar for the event at the district police headquarters.

When asked if the lawyer had bribed police in the district to cover up his misdeeds, Khalid said: “If there is bribery in the force, do not hesitate to report it to me personally.”

He said police would not protect those who were corrupt.

Khalid also said there were no visits by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to the district police headquarters.

There will be an investigation into the police department and land office as well to determine if there improprieties involved:

Federal police are to interview Kuala Langat police personnel who handled the re-opened files of seven fraud allegations, a murder and a missing person’s report linked to the “Datuk lawyer”, the key suspect in the grisly quadruple killings here.

It was learnt Kuala Langat Land Office staff would also be questioned in connection with the fraud reports, all believed to involve land transactions valued at RM7.1 million.

The fraud reports had been lying idle since 2005 while the murder involving a woman, T. Selvi from Taman Chempaka here, occurred in Dec 2008.

Federal police will establish whether there was any interference in the probes, or if there was one at all.

Police and Land Office personnel who have been transferred or had retired would have their statements recorded.

Police have not disclosed the identities of the complainants who claimed irregularities in the land deals including sale and purchase agreements prepared by the lawyer.

Meanwhile, the Star quoted its sources saying that the henchmen who allegedly carried out the murders may belong to several underworld groups. Sources here say the main suspect in the grisly murders, a lawyer, had close contacts with gang members as they often came to him for legal advice.

A source who attended primary and secondary school with the main suspect said the lawyer also had strong connections with a group of people who were restricted residents.

“They would do anything for him as he had helped them and their families a lot,” said the source.

He said the lawyer’s philanthropy had also helped him gain the support and respect of the men who allegedly carried out his orders.

“People did not want to mess with him, and that is why some of those who had had bad experiences with him settled their issues amicably,” the source added.

The case of the Chennai businessman gets more confusing as the Indian newspapers are taking an interest as well. You can read one such article from Deccan Chronicles here.

The disappearance of Indian millionaire A. Muthuraja has taken an intriguing twist – now the Indian media has taken up the story.

Muthuraja’s wife S. Usharani’s refusal to lodge a report with the Indian police has fuelled speculation that there is more to his disappearance.

Usharani, 24, claims that she was afraid to lodge the report in Chennai as she lived alone with her daughter.

Muthuraja allegedly disappeared after coming to Malaysia to meet the two lawyer brothers who have been implicated in the murder of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three men with her.

The papers believed to be pursuing the story are the Deccan Chronicle, Times of India and Tamil vernacular afternoon papers Maalai Malar and Maalai Murasu.

It is believed that Muthuraja also financed movies in India.

Sources in India also alleged that the lawyer brothers had acquired substantial property in Namakkal located in Erode, Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that Muthuraja’s brother, known as Kasi, had contacted a PKR member when he was here to look for his brother four months after he disappeared.

When contacted, the PKR man said: “We suspected Muthuraja was being held captive and that is why we asked Usharani to lodge the police report here on Sept 8.”

If you remember, the wife of Muthuraja said that she had made a police report earlier and her second report was on Sept 8. But this is denied by police:

However, he added, a police report on the missing businessman was only lodged on Sept 8.

“So, how could we have known (about this case) if there was no police report made?” he said at a press conference after a police-community function at the Kuala Langat district police headquarters which was also attended by inspector-general of police Ismail Omar and his deputy Hussin Ismail in Banting.

Khalid (left) said the lawyer was also linked to the murder of a woman in Banting last year.

A newspaper report today said the 44-year-old woman, T Selvi, who was the wife of an auto workshop owner, was believed to have been killed over a loan dispute involving the lawyer.

“Although the woman’s husband has made various statements on the case, I don’t wish to comment on it as the case is still under investigation,” said Khalid.

And note the above, murder last year still under investigation. Maybe he meant the file is still open.

More news about Chennai businessman death:

As the investigation into the killings of cosmetics queen Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three of her aides is being wrapped up here, a related drama is unfolding in Chennai, India.

The wife of missing multi-millionaire A. Muthuraja, who had allegedly met the lawyer brothers implicated in the Sosilawati case early this year, claims that only Rs1,000 (RM67) is left in his previously huge account after he came to Banting to meet the two men.

“I don’t know where his money went but I think it must have found its way to Malaysia,” alleged S. Usharani, who said her husband left her broke.

“I have nothing. Not even my jewellery,” lamented Usharani, 24, when contacted in Chennai yesterday.

Sources in India, however, said Usharani, a housewife, earned a reasonable monthly sum from the rental of her husband’s properties as well as from interest earned on loans he gave out.

Muthuraja, who made his wealth through business, movie financing and real estate, had allegedly gone missing after meeting the brothers on Jan 18.

Muthuraja’s disappearance has opened a floodgate of sorts, with several Indian newspapers working hard to unravel the mystery behind the movie financier’s 10-year friendship with the two Banting lawyers.

Usharani refuted an allegation by Indian businessman V.R. Kannan that the Malaysian police had called her to say Muthuraja had been murdered.

Kannan, who had accompanied Usharani on a trip to Kuala Lumpur from Chennai on Sept 8 to lodge a report at the Banting police station, had told The Star that the call came to Usharani at about 6.30pm (Malaysian time) on Wednesday.

Usharani retorted: “No one called me. Please do not believe what is being said about my husband.”

A journalist with a Chennai-based English daily said speculation was rife that Muthuraja worked as a middleman for business deals between the two brothers and some influential people.

And reading the below news will make you more confused:

Various theories abound over the disappearance of Chennai millionaire A. Muthuraja, 34, with some alleging his involvement in clandestine activities with the lawyer brothers, key suspects in the murder of cosmetics queen Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and her three associates.

They have known each other for about 10 years and speculation is rife that the trio could have been involved in sinister businesses here and in India.

Muthuraja’s wife Usha Rani, 24, had told Indian Press that her husband had told her that the brothers were into ‘shady’ deals and that he had wanted to cut all connections with them.

However, when Muthuraja came to Malaysia on Jan 18, he had about 20kg of jewellery and substantial cash, according to Usha.

Indian media reported that Usha had not made a missing person’s report in Chennai stoking suggestions that it was a deliberate move to keep her husband off the police radar there.

Journalist Tamil Selvam told The Malay Mail that Usha’s claim that she did not lodge a report in Chennai for fear of reprisal was “regrettable” as what she needed now was police protection.

Usha had said she was afraid to lodge a report in Chennai because she lived alone with her three-year-old daughter.

“She flew down to Malaysia to make a missing person’s report on Sept 8, long after Muthuraja went missing on Jan 18, so it makes no sense why she did not lodge a report in Chennai as well,” said Tamil Selvam.

He said if she had feared for her safety Usha would not have come to Malaysia to make the report on Sept 8 because the brothers were only arrested in connection with the quadruple murders three days later.

“Malaysian police might need the assistance of their Indian counterparts to conduct a thorough investigation into Muthuraja’s disappearance that might just lead to something else.”

Usha’s claim that the latest missing person’s report was her second was denied yesterday by Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar.

She had also said her brother-in-law Kasi Viswanathan came here four months ago to look for her husband.

The lawyer brothers, she said, immediately sent him back to Chennai with Muthuraja’s luggage.

She claimed they told him her husband was caught attempting to smuggle ketamine into the country and that they should lie low.

Further, she recalled that a man claiming to have served a short prison term in Malaysia showed up in Tirunelveli, a district of Tamil Nadu in south India, and her husband’s relatives had met Muthuraja in jail.

Muthuraja has various business ventures in India including jewellery shops, plantations, hotels and restaurants.

The Bar Council also strives to protect its image by saying that the police should hasten investigation of lawyers removed from the bar.

Errant lawyers struck off the rolls by the Disciplinary Board are not being investigated by police despite reports lodged against them.This is one of the main concerns which will be brought up by the Malaysian Bar in its first meeting with the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar soon.

Bar Council president Ragunath Kesavan said an average of 40 lawyers were disbarred annually for various cases, including criminal breach of trust, adding that it had 13,000 members.
“In most cases, police reports are lodged against lawyers but unfortunately, police action has been slow or none at all.

“Most of these case are treated as NFA (no further action) by police, especially at the district level,” said Ragunath who was speaking to reporters after the launch of the sixth phase of the Bar’s “My Constitution” awareness campaign here yesterday in conjunction with Malaysia Day.

“We urge the IGP to ensure that the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman handles all cases dealing with errant lawyers. District police stations should be left out.
“On our part, when we receive complaints against lawyers, the most we can do is to strike them off the rolls. In most, if not all cases, we also lodge police reports against the errant lawyers.

“It is up to the police to act fast in bringing them to book based on the reports.”

Ragunath said the Bar was prepared to assist police in any way in the investigations against these errant lawyers.
“We’re not here to defend errant lawyers.”

Read an interview with Bar Council president here.

Finally, The Star writes about the suspects’ family wealth. From my understanding, their family where involved in money-lending business since those days.

Contrary to reports that they came from humble beginnings, the two lawyer brothers implicated in the Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya murder had a good start in life as their parents were wealthy.

A long-time Banting resident, who has known the lawyers and their family for almost four decades, said their father had amassed substantial wealth through land brokerage.

“He was clever in handling money and had bought a piece of prime land in the centre of Banting town that fetched a good price when the town was developed,” said the woman, who wanted to be known only as Devi.

She said a developer gave the lawyers’ father several shophouses in contra deals for the land.

Devi added: “He managed his money well and kept adding to his properties. He also gave all his children a good education.”

It is believed that one of the lawyers is the eldest of four children.

Meanwhile, a Banting-based businessman, who claims to have known the main suspect since they were children, alleged that he got into a controversial land deal with the lawyer about five years ago.

“He told me there was a piece of land going cheap in Klang and asked if I would like to join him in a partnership to buy and resell the land for a big profit,” he said.

The businessman, who declined to be named, said he agreed and used his house as collateral for the lawyer to take a loan to buy the land.

“He borrowed about RM450,000 with my house title but I found out later that the land did not exist,” he said.

The lawyer, however, returned the land deed to the Banting businessman last year with a caveat placed on the property to prevent the businessman from selling or transferring it to anyone.

“He told me he’ll remove the caveat but I have to seek help from others now,” said the businessman.

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More on Banting Murders (iii)

September 16th, 2010

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I just talked to few friends. Two of them couldn’t sleep at night thinking about the murders! Even Then is having problem thinking about the murders. The impact is bad!

OK, let’s cover some news now:

1. Watched TV3 Buletin Utama at 8pm? You’ll be shocked! One of the suspects (looked like a young chap!) confessed that he was given RM5000 to get rid of the Selvi (Balasundram’s wife). He paid RM1500 each to two other fellows, and the three of them attacked Selvi, killing her.

2. More chillingly, one of the suspect said that one victim was fed to a bear! My God , a bear???? God have mercy.

3. Number of victims may reach 20!

Buletin Utama have to classified 18SG now.

Unconfirmed sources indicate the family has moved out due to fear that they may be identified. One source said they have gone overseas, but I’m not sure how true this is. The school had asked the parent to remove the children since may affect the school, but FMT article below report another angle:

Fearing for their safety, the wife of the main suspect in the murder of cosmetic millionaires Sosilawati Lawiya and three others took the couple’s children home from school this morning.

The boys, aged seven and 10, were said to be in class when their mother arrived.

It is learnt that the Datuk’s wife had told school officials that people have found out that her children were in that particular school in Brickfields.

“So she was worried for the boys’ safety and wanted to take them home,” a source told FMT.

Meanwhile, a family friend said the children stayed with their mother in Puchong during the weekdays and spent the weekends with their father in Banting.

The suspect and his brother, who was also arrested, are lawyers and the duo operate a law firm in Banting.

The family friend described the brothers as humble and religious.

However, the family friend claimed that the brothers changed of late and had kept away from relatives, preferring to mix with well-heeled people instead.

According to him, rumours of the brothers possible involvement in the case began to swirl among family members when they had skipped a relative’s wedding on Sunday.

He said the brothers were arrested after returning from the airport where they had picked up their parents, who went on a trip to India.

Another friend informed me that the Datuk is enstranged with wife due to a family problem – they bashed up the wife’s brother (again, unverifiable).

The neighbor are shocked that the brothers are suspected murderers because the guys behaved so well in front of them. Some even cried after hearing this news. Shocking indeed.

Meanwhile, since the sister’s (doc in hospital) FB account was revealed in LowYatNet, it has been removed. Its for her security as well, I suppose.

What a small world it is. I can confirm that the wife was indeed my batchmate while in university, though I barely remember speaking to her, while their kids studied in a school where some kids I know study.

It seems the family of the suspects are in the dark about the activities of the brothers.

As of today night, more things have been recovered from the river by the police, but no clear idea on what those things are.

The police meanwhile, have announced that they have solved the case. Up to AG to initiate charges:

Police are in the process of liaising with the Attorney-General’s Chambers to prepare charges and the type of charges to be made against those detained for the gruesome murders of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said police considered the case solved and commended CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin, Deputy Comm Datuk Hadi Ho Abdullah and all the detectives in the team entrusted with apprehending the suspects.

The police also seem to indicate there’s some problem somewhere within:

Meanwhile, Ismail said all missing persons reports must be investigated immediately and thoroughly to avoid another similar incident.

He admitted that Sosilawati’s case could have been prevented if fast and thorough action had been taken.

“I have already instructed my men that there should be no more slacking. Those caught slacking or ignoring missing persons reports will be severely reprimanded,” he told editors at a briefing at his office in Bukit Aman Wednesday.

I’m sure the public will be very interested to know how the cases were missed earlier until can end up till this extent. This oversight/negligence may have emboldened the murderers to commit more murders wantonly.

Looks like the case will proceed on fast track next week. Expect to hear more gruelling stuff and maybe some startling revelations when the trials start. If the cases are proven, we may be looking at the worse crime in Malaysia for a long time to come.

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More on Banting Murders (ii)

September 15th, 2010

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I continue with Banting Murders from yesterday. Today I learnt that one of the suspects’ wife may be from same university as me. Can’t verify it yet. Some of my uni mates are from Banting, so its possible.

Thinking about the suspects families, if its proven that they are the murderers, imagine the impact on the family. Both the brothers are married with kids. The damage to family name, wife, children. These guys never think about this. The kids will be traumatised. Maybe the family will be ostracized. Biasalah, when have money, everyone will come to you. When you in trouble, everyone will disappear or even condemn you.

You can view some photos of the investigation at the river from Vinn’s Flicker below

while there’s also a video from Youtube.

The police denied that cases of dead lawyers are being reopened, instead, they are just reviewing some earlier cases. This was in response to a newspaper article that said Penang police will be looking at cases involving such deaths:

State police chief Datuk Ayub Yaakob said a report in an English daily yesterday that the suspects were involved in the killings of five lawyers here were “totally baseless”.

Expressing his unhappiness with the report, he also said no special task force would be formed to look into the unresolved murders in the state.

“I did not mention reopening. I just said reviewing.

“Every state has a committee which reviews all unsolved cases from time to time, especially murder cases.

“It is a standard operating procedure. It is our normal practice,” said Ayub.

I mentioned that newspapers saying few other missing persons may be linked to the suspects, but today’s NST reported that 17, yes, 17 murders may be linked to the suspects! This would be a record in Malaysia. I can’t ever remember 17 murders committed by one group or person. And current news from The Star says the Datuk lawyer is the mastermind who ordered the murders.

The main suspects in the murders of Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others could be linked to at least 17 killings over the past years.This shocking revelation came about after police combed through earlier reports linking murders and missing persons to the suspects, who are two lawyer brothers.

The New Straits Times learnt that the police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers have already met several times as the investigations into the suspectswidened.

It is, however, learnt that the investigations are being hampered as the bodies of the victims cannot be traced.

Police are now working overtime searching riverbeds and streams in and around Banting in the hope of retrieving skeletal remains or personal effects of the victims.

To date, after investigations into the quadruple murder began, police have retrieved human bones, a watch and two knives. The bones will be subjected to DNA tests to ascertain the identities.

Police, however, are camped here, conducting investigations at the suspect’s poultry farm in Sungai Gadung, near Tanjung Sepat, and in the waterways.

Yesterday, police also seized several computer hard drives and documents from the suspect’s law firm here.

Later in the evening, a team of policemen took one of the suspects to the Angsana flats in USJ 1, Subang Jaya, where they found an object in some bushes.

The policemen seemed excited and were seen giving each other high fives before taking the suspect away.

It was at the car park of Angsana flat that Sosilawati’s BMW X5 was found on Sept 6.

One of the possible victim include Balasundram’s wife as reported here:

The lawyer at the centre of a murder investigation is also being probed over the killing of a relative.P. Balasandram, who operates a workshop in Banting, told the New Straits Times yesterday that he was slashed in December 2008.

Four months later, his wife, T. Selvi, 44, was murdered by two unknown assailants in front of their home in Taman Cempaka here, in the same area where the lawyer also lived.

Balasandram, 54, suspects that the attacks were due to his dealings with the lawyer.

Balasandram said the lawyer was a relative and had suggested that he go into the money-lending business under the guise of friendly loans.

“The lawyer drafted three agreements for me.”

The first agreement was for RM34,850, second RM48,800 and the final one RM80,000. All the agreements were signed in 2006.

Balasandram said the first borrower settled the loan while the other two defaulted.

“When I approached them, they told me to deal with the lawyer. I went to see him and he told me that he could not do anything and that the borrowers could not pay me back.

That’s why the police are intensively search the farm and river beds. If they find more evidence of other victims, this is going to be THE topic for 2010.

“He also challenged me to do anything I wanted.”

He said the third borrower, a woman, was with the lawyer when he met them and both had threatened him.

“I saw them in his office in January 2008. He threatened to kill me if I pursued the matter and that he had gangsters with him. The woman also challenged me to lodge a police report.”

Balasandram filed a civil suit against the two borrowers and the lawyer two years ago.

He said this might have angered the lawyer, who sent a letter threatening to sue him for defamation.

Balasandram said the borrowers lodged a police report against him in Telok Panglima Garang and Sepang, saying he had threatened them.

“I was arrested and spent eight days in two lock-ups. They released me after that without any charges.”

In December that year, he was attacked in his workshop. Despite having his nose chopped off and slash wounds on his head and body, he survived.

“I was in hospital for almost a month and spent another three months at home recovering from my injuries.”

He claimed that weeks before his wife was murdered, he received an anonymous phone call demanding he withdraw the case.

The caller allegedly threatened to harm his family if he did not comply.

“I refused to do so and my wife was killed. She was returning home from the gym when two men on a motorcycle slashed her to death outside our house.

“I received another phone call after her murder. This time the caller warned that they would finish my family off.

“I have three children and I feared for their lives. I withdrew the case.”

He claimed the police were unresponsive when he wanted to give them all this information.

“They just asked me who the killers were. I was not able to identify anyone as I was scared.”

It was learnt that Selvi’s murder was one of the four cases that police had said they were looking into after implicating the lawyer and his brother in the murders of Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others.

The other victims are an Indian businessman, Allal Kanthan Muthu Raja, 34; a local businessman and his driver.

The police are also investigating the shooting case of two other persons which may be related to this group. Read the report here (in Malay).

That’s why the police are search the farm and river extensively, hoping to find more evidence that may possibly link the suspects to other cases.

According to a post (UNVERIFIED) in LowYatNet, the breakthrough came when the wife of the missing Indian businessman came down from Chennai to make another police report on September 8, implicating the farm. When police raided the farm, found the burning area.

This topic is not hotly discussed in cyberspace – be it blogs, forums, FB and twitter. Many already decided the suspects are the culprits and hope for a terrible punishment.

The two lawyers in the centre of investigations into the murder of Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya have been tried and convicted in cyberspace.

Many have turned to social networking site Facebook and micro-blogging site Twitter to express their shock and outrage and some have already “convicted” the lawyers.

Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, however, has issued a clear message to all that the maxim “innocent until proven guilty” is to be upheld. “Let the law take its course,” he said.

Bar Council also gave their opinion:

Bar Council president Ragunath Kesavan said it was unfortunate that the case had been sensationalised but it could not be avoided as it involved a prominent figure in a gruesome murder.

“However in Malaysia there is no trial by jury and I do not think that being ‘tried’ in cyberspace would influence a verdict.

“A public outcry could not be avoided as information was accessible and this phenomenon does not happen here only. The public have merely interpreted revelations by the police on the news.

“Whether there is culpability or the murders were premeditated, we do not know as there are still many undisclosed details.

“These are the tribulations of having blogs whereby people are free to make judgments as they wish however uninformed they may be.”

Ragunath said, however, the police would have gotten the flak if they had suppressed information from the public.

When asked if the suspects could take action on those who have “convicted” them, he said this would depend on the outcome of the trial.

“If the suspects are acquitted of the charges, they can indeed sue for defamation,” he said.

So, better be careful with what we say here.

There also groups bent on making this a racial/religious issue, though most Malaysians are smart enough to realise that this a heinous crime of greed. The home minister and police both issued warning not to twist the murder case:

The home minister and police have categorically rejected speculation that the killing of cosmetics queen Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and her three associates were racially motivated.In a strongly-worded statement, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said yesterday the killings were a “gruesome and cowardly” crime to be classified simply as murder.

Ismail urged the public not to speculate on the crime based on rumours as it could cause unrest in society.

In a separate statement, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the killings were a violent and despicable crime which transcended race and religion.

“Every racial and religious community in this nation condemn in one voice the tragic events that have transpired.”

He said he had already instructed Ismail to work closely with the Attorney-General’s Chambers to bring the perpetrators to justice.

He added that a swift resolution of the case would help ease any tension or negative perceptions among the different races raised as a result of the killings.

“The murderers must be brought before the law and punished with the harshest penalties, equal to the severity of their crime.”

NST also provided details about the police’ SOP on investigation of a crime:

An investigation team is deployed to the scene of the crime and the area is cordoned off. They will need to ascertain the type of crime that took place, such as suicide, murder and natural disaster.

– Forensics are called in to look for evidence of signs and nature, such as blood, hair, fingernails and fingerprints. They would then determine the cause of injury on the body/bodies. It is important for the police to find out what kind of weapon was used and/or whether it was blunt or sharp.

– Once the forensics are done, the body is sent to the hospital for a post-mortem.

– Upon the discretion of the lead investigation officer, the police will go an extra mile by cordoning off the circumference of the crime scene by a few kilometres radius to look for any other leads.

– Once the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is satisfied, they will declare the crime scene clear and not a police area any more.

– The pathologist will send a report to the CID team once the the post-mortem is done on the cause of death as well as blood toxicology and content of stomach reports.

– WIth all the evidence gathered from the crime scene and the pathologist, the CID will narrow down on the possible suspect/suspects.

– Once the suspect/suspects are caught, they will be remanded to assist in the investigations. Police would also speak to witnesses and record statements/accounts of the incident.

– Upon completing oral and documentary evidence, police would submit the investigation paper (IP) to the state’s head of prosecution unit.

– In the event the prosecution feels there is a need for more investigation, the IP is sent back to the CID team. If they are satisfied with the IP, the prosecution can proceed to charge the suspect.

Meanwhile, the police are investigating the finances of the suspect, including money trail via bank accounts. The Star reports that their bank accounts have been frozen.

Millions of ringgit in the local bank accounts of two lawyer brothers detained in the murder of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya have been frozen.According to a source, the main suspect – the elder brother – has allegedly RM7.2mil in one bank account alone.

It is believed that the police are currently tracing the financial transactions against the deposits and withdrawals of cash from the various bank accounts.

“There are numerous movements of cash by both locals and foreigners, and originating from countries like India, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia and the Philippines,” said the source.

He added that the financial transactions recorded could correspond with the dealings of the businessmen who had been reported missing.

“This will help us craft out a pattern of fraudulent dealings,” he said.

Malay Mail wrote about the amount of wealth accumulated by the suspects, said to be about RM100 million at least:

The Datuk lawyer in the centre of the hideous quadruple slaughters in Banting has a personal wealth of more than RM100 million, it emerged today.

His younger brother who is also a suspect in the kill and burn atrocity could have amassed up to RM20 million, sources said.

The estimated fortunes of the brothers were based on their bank accounts that the authorities know of and the properties they owned.

The police’s anti-money laundering division have got an order from the Attorney-General’s Chambers to freeze the assets, including bank accounts, of the two lawyers.

Millions are reportedly in single accounts, said the source. Checks are underway to ascertain if they had parked money in offshore banks.

While it is known that they own several parcels of land in and around Banting, including the 1.6ha farm where the killings are thought to have occurred, the authorities believe there are more.

The brothers own several shophouses and a medical clinic in Banting besides lavish homes, notably their mansion where both of them live. They also have a fleet of high-end luxury cars.

The gained their wealth allegedly through money-laundering, obtaining properties illegally and land scams.

It is believed the brothers secured dozens of land grants as collateral in illegal money-lending deals. Caveats on properties were also their way of extorting money, said a source.

The source said the lawyers often asked for jewellery as security when giving loans.

Police yesterday seized files from his law firm in Banting town believed to contain vital information on dubious land deals and money-lending activities.

The seized files are also thought to contain land grants that have now put the owners in a fix as these documents would be crucial in investigations and perhaps later as court exhibits.

Financial institutions have extended full co-operation in the declaration of transactions undertaken by the brothers.

Investigations into their financial transactions could be time-consuming as it is believed there were numerous movements of money in and out of the country.

The lawyer brothers’ known wealth

? THE 1.6ha poultry farm and land.
? Properties worth millions of ringgit.
? Semi-detached house in Banting.
? Bungalow house in Puchong where the Datuk lawyer’s wife and two sons live.
? Shophouse where their law firm is located in Banting town.
? Medical clinic run by their youngest sister.
? Nine high-end cars including seven Mercedes Benz.

Police are investigating how the brothers amassed such wealth and are looking at alleged involvement in money-laundering, obtaining properties illegally and land scams.

The police’s anti-money laundering division has applied to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for an order to freeze the assets, including bank accounts, of the two lawyers.

Investigations on the purchase of the farm land are underway and police are trying to contact the former owner.

The suspect’s house as revealed by Malay Mail:

http://mmail.com.my/content/49380-datuk-sosilawati-lawiya-murder-suspects-home

DNA experts say that if the remains are not totally charred, DNA samples can be extracted to match with the relatives’ DNA samples.

DNA analysis can be carried out on the bone fragments found at the Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya murder site if they are not completely charred.

Penang Hospital Forensic Department head Datuk Dr Bhupinder Singh said DNA can be harvested from the bone fragments if the inner core is not completely burnt.

“The DNA is always there and can be taken from the fragments,” said Dr Bhupinder.

He added that from the pictures he had seen of the bone fragments in the media, he believed DNA could be harvested from them.

The remains of Sosilawati and her three companions are believed to have been burnt with dry cowdung and petrol before being dumped into a river.

However, some bone fragments were retrieved from the site.

Dr Bhupinder also said DNA can be obtained from the teeth, if any had been retrieved.

However, he added that teeth could also be completely charred or burnt at a very high temperature.

BTW, the clients of the law firm are alarmed, and some turned up at the office to get back important documents:

Earlier, more than 60 people were seen waiting at the law firm, claiming to be the suspect’s clients and demanding that the clerks give back their land grants.

However, police told them that it was not possible as investigations into the murder case was ongoing.

Before I end, read excerpts from this article by Frankie De Cruz, from Malay Mail , who have met one of the suspect before this:

THE lawyer brothers, the main suspects in the macabre Banting quadruple killings, have been described by fellow legal minds as “audacious and salacious characters” in the practice.

The lawyers claimed the brothers, one a Datuk, were involved in rampant and organised fraud.

They further alleged that the Datuk, 41, and his younger brother, 38, had the services of certain foreign workers as “muscle” when negotiating a deal.

“They hardly had friends in the legal fraternity but seemed to enjoy the patronage of certain people with their so-called generosity,” said a lawyer who requested anonymity.

He said some foreign workers were indebted to the brothers for assisting them to settle problems related to salaries and exploitation with their employers. These foreign workers then end up at the mercy of the brothers and those who reject instructions from them suffer dire consequences, he said.

A mutual lawyer friend introduced me to this Datuk a few months ago and the first thing that came across was his creepy outlook to problems.

No problems could beset him, he suggested.

“I have people everywhere who could make problems go away,” he told us, making me wonder why anyone would make such remarks to a person he had just met – and a journalist at that.

I wondered if he was really a Datuk. I left it at that because I have met many people who claim to be titled, including a fellow Paulian from Seremban who swears he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth and carries a business card bearing Sir Lawrence…

Now, I wonder again on what basis this Datuk, a law graduate of the Bond University in Australia, was conferred the Datukship last year.

Questions linger if his suspension from practice for one year in 2007 for alleged involvement in land scams was overlooked in the conferment of the title.

The authorities, I am told, will recommend that the Datukship be revoked and investigate whether the lawyer provided false information to obtain the title.

The person or body that recommended him in spite of his suspension from practice last year should also be asked to explain.

Police are now looking into other crimes allegedly involving the brothers including money laundering, obtaining properties illegally and land scams.

Police reports have been lodged against the brothers who acted as brokers in dubious land deals.

The younger brother faced three counts of criminal breach of trust involving a land transfer deal between 2002 and 2004 in the Klang Sessions Court last month.

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Posted in BornInMalaysia

Tags: Crime

More on the Banting Murders

September 14th, 2010

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I renamed the issue from Sosilawati murder to Banting Murders because (i) there’s potentially more than the 4 recent victims, and (ii) to reduce any possible racial connotations.

Today’s NST and Star gave much space on this murders. Coverage include the missing Chennai millionaire, other possible murder cases and so on. The articles are too many, so for some of them, I’ll just provide the links for your reference.

Murder not planned?

Police forensics department personnel have been working round-the-clock and are still combing the 1.6ha farm where some of Sosilawati’s personal belongings were found. Sources said investigators believed that the murder of Sosilawati’s three companions were not planned.

“We believe the man had expected Sosilawati to show up alone,’’ said one source. The source said Sosilawati had gone to meet the lawyer to get a refund of several million ringgit she had paid him to buy a plot of land in Penang. Another source said the other suspects were paid RM2,500 to burn each body and dispose of the ashes at the nearby river.