Raja Petra’s lawyer summoned to the police station

Raja Petra’s lawyer summoned to the police station
9 July, 2008

Malaysia Today

Raja Petra Kamarudin’s lawyer, J. Chandra of ABRAIN & Co., has been summoned to the police station for his statement to be recorded. It is believed that this is a sign the government is going to charge Raja Petra under Section 203 of the Penal Code (making a false Statutory Declaration).

The time and place has not been confirmed yet but Chandra will have to go in some time tomorrow (Wednesday, 9 July 2008). Chandra’s legal firm prepared the Statutory Declaration signed by Raja Petra on 18 June 2008 alleging that three other people were at the scene of the crime the night Altantuya Shaariibu was murdered.

The police recorded Raja Petra’s statement at the Sentul Police Station on Saturday, 5 July 2008. He was repeatedly asked the identity of the informer named in his Statutory Declaration but Raja Petra stood firm and refused to reveal the informer’s identity and told the police he was prepared to go to jail if necessary just to protect the informer.

The police then assured Raja Petra they will guarantee the safety of the informer and he replied that they were not able to protect Bala -- who also signed a Statutory Declaration a few days before that and has since gone missing -- so how could he trust the police.

Raja Petra revealed that he had met Bala the night before the press conference of Thursday, 3 July 2008, and had spent six hours with him. According to Raja Petra, Bala had been working on his Statutory Declaration over a period of two months and he appeared high-spirited and very excited and did not at all gave an appearance that he was under duress.

Furthermore, after the press conference, Raja Petra had lunch with Bala and he was still high-spirited and excited and they had planned to meet on Saturday night to ‘celebrate’. Then, on Friday, 4 July 2008, he suddenly changed his stand and appeared very disturbed, giving an impression that someone had got to him and had forced him to sign a second Statutory Declaration which said that he lied in his first Statutory Declaration and had signed it under duress.

In light of what happened to Bala, argued Raja Petra, it would not be wise to reveal the identity of the informer at this stage. Nevertheless, if the police decide to charge him for making a ‘false declaration’, then the informer will surface to confirm what he had told Raja Petra.