Accused: Lawyer persuaded me to plead guilty

KUALA LUMPUR: The seventh accused in the murder of deputy public prosecutor Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais maintains his statement that lawyer Datuk N. Sivananthan had persuaded him to plead guilty.

S. Ravichandaran, 47, claimed that Sivananthan, who is the counsel for first accused pathologist Colonel Dr R. Kunaseegaran, also offered to represent him in the Court of Appeal.

Previously, Ravichandaran had told the court that Sivananthan and Dr Kunaseegaran had met him on Dec 29 and offered RM1.5 million if he pleaded guilty.

However, counsel Jasmine Cheong Chi May, when cross-examining Ravichandaran, suggested that it was not possible for Sivananthan to persuade the accused to plead guilty or to represent him in the Court of Appeal because it was “illogical”. “I disagree. What has been discussed was Sivananthan persuaded me to plead guilty and he will represent me in the Court of Appeal,” Ravichandaran replied.

He, however, confessed that he was not aware that anyone charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code was not allowed to make such plea.

Ravichandran, S. Nimalan, 22; R. Dineshwaran, 23; A. K. Thinesh Kumar, 22; and M. Vishwanath, 25, were jointly charged with murdering Morais, 55, between 7am and 8pm on Sept 4, 2015, while the victim was on his way from Jalan Dutamas Raya Sentul to No. 1 Jalan USJ1/6D, Subang Jaya.

Dr Kunaseegaran, 54, was charged with abetting in the killing of Morais.

Deputy public prosecutor Saiful Edris Zainuddin prosecuted while M. Manoharan, Rajehgopal and G. Sivakumar represented the accused.

Morais’ body was found in a drum filled with concrete at Persiaran Subang Mewah, Subang Jaya, on Sept 16, 2015.

He was reported missing on Sept 4, 2015 and was last seen leaving his condominium in Menara Duta to drive to his office in Putrajaya in a Proton Perdana with the registration number WA6264Q. The trial will continue tomorrow before judge Datuk Azman Abdullah.