By SHAHANAAZ HABIB and PAUL CHOO, The Star

Saturday July 5, 2008


KUALA LUMPUR: Barely 24 hours after making it public, private investigator P. Balasubramaniam has retracted the entire content of his statutory declaration that alleged police omitted vital information in the Altantuya murder case.

In the first statutory declaration, Balasubramaniam had claimed that police omitted vital information, allegedly linking Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in the Altantuya murder case.

Yesterday, Balasubramaniam revealed in a second statutory declaration that he was “compelled to affirm the (first) statutory declaration dated July 1, 2008 under duress???.

The document also read that all substantive statements made were “inaccurate and not the truth???.

Balasubramaniam kept mum when met by pressmen and his lawyer, Arulampalam Mariam Pillai, was the only one speaking during the brief press conference.

Arulampalam also refused to entertain questions from pressmen, giving only a brief statement that his client was under duress and that he was upset.

The statutory declaration withdrew all statements that Balasubramaniam had revealed during a press conference organised by PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday.

This included the fact that he had informed police what political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda had purportedly told him prior to Altantuya’s murder.

The second statutory declaration dated July 4 said:

> At no material time did Razak inform Balasubramaniam that the former was introduced to Altantuya Shaariibuu by a VIP;

> At no material time did Razak inform him that Najib had a sexual relationship with Altantuya and that she was susceptible to anal intercourse;

> At no material time did Razak inform him that Najib instructed Razak to look after Altantuya, as he did not want her to harass him since he (Najib) was the Deputy Prime Minister;

> At no material time did Razak and/or Altantuya inform him that Najib, together with Razak and Altantuya, had met and all been together at a dinner in Paris;

> At no material time did Altantuya inform him that she wanted money in the sum of US$500,000 (RM1.65mil) as commission for a submarine deal she had assisted with in Paris;

> At no time whatsoever did Razak and/or Altantuya inform him that Najib met Altantuya in Singapore;

> At no time whatsoever did Altantuya inform him that she wanted Balasubramaniam to arrange to see Najib;

> At no time did he tell the police during the course of their investigations about any relationship between Najib and Altantuya, as no such relationship existed to his knowledge;

> At no time did Razak inform him that he had sent Najib an SMS the evening before he (Razak) was arrested; and

> At no time did Razak inform him that Najib had sent him an SMS on the day of his (Razak) arrest to the effect that he was going to see the IGP that day and that the matter should be resolved and for Razak to remain calm.

Meanwhile, Americk Singh Sidhu, who represented Balasubramaniam during the press conference with Anwar on Thursday, said he was unaware of Balasubramaniam's actions.

“Reporters have been calling me all morning and I myself have no information on this,??? he said, adding that he was unable to get in touch with Balasubramaniam.