LAW AND POLITICS: KUALA LUMPUR- Kevin Morais murder: Accused tells court Najib offered RM3.5m to admit guilt (Updated)
KUALA LUMPUR: The seventh accused in the murder of Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais told the High Court here today that he was offered RM3.5 million by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak to admit guilt.
S. Ravi Chandaran, 47, also told the court that the offer was made through a prisons officer and besides this, he also received an offer from Kevin Morais’s younger brother himself Datuk Richard Morais to do the same.
Ravi Chandaran, who is the defence’s sixth witness, said this when cross-examined by counsel Datuk N. Sivananthan who is representing military pathologist Colonel Dr R. Kunaseegaran, during the proceedings on the 24th day of the defence’s case.
.
– SPACE RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –
.
Sivananthan : You said Dr Kunaseegaran offered RM1.5 million for you to admit guilt. This was done on Dec 29, 2017.
Ravi Chandaran : True.
Sivananthan : You also lodged a police report that on Jan 26, 2018, Richard Morais offered RM2 million to you to plead guilty.
Ravi Chandaran : Yes, true.
Sivananthan : In the same report you said in February 2018, there was a prisons officer who offered you RM3.5 million to plead guilty on behalf of Najib Tun Razak.
Ravi Chandaran : Yes, true.
Ravi Chandaran also agreed to Sivananthan’s suggestion that the amount of money offered to him by the individuals concerned for him to plead guilty was RM7 million.
To a suggestion that that the accused just made up the story about the money, Ravi Chandaran said he disagreed.
He also disagreed with a suggestion that there was no reason for the individuals to offer him the money.
When asked by Sivananthan on whether Kunaseegaran had ordered him to kill Kevin Morais, the accused said: “No”.
To a question whether Kunaseegaran had ordered him to do something on Kevin Morais such as to kidnap the victim, the accused also replied “no”.
In the previous proceeding, Ravi Chandaran had told the court that Kunaseegaran had offered him RM1.5 million if he pleaded guilty to killing Kevin Morais.
R. Dinishwaran, A. K. Thinesh Kumar, M. Vishwanath; S. Nimalan, Ravi Chandaran, and Kunaseegaran had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Kevin Morais during their journey from Jalan Dutamas 1, Sentul, to No.1 Jalan USJ 1/6D, Subang Jaya, between 7am and 8pm on Sept 4, 2015.
They are charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code and read together with Section 34 of the same code, which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
Dinishwaran, 26, Thinesh Kumar, 25, Vishwanath; 28, Nimalan, 25, and Ravi Chandaran, are represented by lawyer Rajehgopal while the prosecution is led by deputy public prosecutor Saiful Edris Zainuddin.
The hearing before Judge Datuk Azman Abdullah resumes on Friday. — Bernama
