Witness: I was asked to lift cement-filled drum

KUALA LUMPUR: A prosecution witness yesterday told the High Court that he was asked to lift a cement-filled drum, using a forklift, and place it in a four-wheel drive.

Mechanic-cum-workshop owner Mohamad Firdhauz Abu Samah, 31, said he was approached by a young Indian man at his workshop in USJ 1 in Subang Jaya on Sept 15, 2015, to borrow a forklift for lifting a heavy item.

“I told him that he could not borrow the forklift, but could hire it for RM50 per trip. I was then asked to help move a cementfilled drum that was in a shop some 150 metres from my workshop, onto a fourwheel vehicle,” he said.

Firdhauz was testifying during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Saiful Edris Zainuddin at the murder trial of deputy public prosecutor Anthony Kevin Morais.

“There were three men in the shop, and I recognised the young Indian man who hired me. I was also told that the drum was heavy because it was filled with cement.”

The court earlier heard that Morais' body was placed in a drum which was filled with cement.

The 57th prosecution witness also testified that while the younger man had hired him, it was the older Indian man who paid him the RM50.

Firdhauz identified the young and older Indian men as S. Nimalan, 24, and S. Ravichandran, 46, respectively.

Six men have been charged with the murder and for abetting the murder of Morais.

Five men — R. Dinishwaran, 25; A. Thinesh Kumar, 24; M. Vishwanath, 26; Nimalan and Ravichandaran — are jointly charged with murdering Morais, 55, between 7am and 8pm on Sept 4, 2015, while Morais was on his way from Jalan Dutamas Raya Sentul to No. 1 Jalan USJ1/6D, Subang Jaya.

They face the mandatory death sentence if convicted.

Meanwhile, pathologist Dr R. Kunaseegaran, 54, was charged with abetting the murder of Morais under Section 34 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 302 of the same act.

The men are represented by represented by counsels Datuk N. Sivananthan, Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent, M. Manoharan and V. Rajehgopal, while Datuk Simon Sabapathy is holding a watching brief for Datuk Richard Morais.

The prosecution, comprising deputy public prosecutors Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, Saiful Hazmi Mohd Saad, Izzat Fauzan and Nurfaida Mohd Rashidee, is led by Saiful Edris.

Later, during cross examination by counsel Geethan, Firdhauz admitted that he had lied under oath when he said that he saw two men in the shop instead of three.

“Earlier you had said there were three people there and now two, so you are lying in court. You took an oath in court?”

To both these questions, Firdhauz answered, “Yes”.

Geethan then told him: “I suggest you tell the truth.”

Hearing before Judge Datuk Paduka Azman Abdullah continues.