Let police probe sexual harassment case — Kesavan

IPOH: Sungai Siput Member of Parliament S. Kesavan said yesterday he is leaving it to the police to investigate the sexual harassment report lodged against him by a former aide.

Speaking at a media conference here, the first-term Parti Keadilan Rakyat MP said he will fully cooperate with the police, including handing over all evidence linked to the case.

Kesavan said he first got to know the woman in 2017 while handling the campaign to protest the alleged import of phantom voters into the Hutan Melintang state constituency.

“This lady contacted me and offered to help me in the campaign to stop the import of phantom voters.

“I welcomed her offer as she wanted to be a volunteer, just as how I welcomed the other volunteers,” he said.

According to Kesavan, the woman then gradually began to interfere in his marital affairs by putting his wife down.

“By September 2018, I wasn’t feeling comfortable with her behaviour after she began changing from being mere friends to having feelings for me.

“These past few months, she has been introducing herself as my special aide, calling government officers, including the Assistant District Officer, with directives purportedly on my behalf. This, of course, was not well received by the officers,” he claimed.

Kesavan said as the woman was married with two children, he had no intentions of making things worse for her, adding that he finally lodged a police report in Sungai Siput on May 4 after consulting PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli.

Sungai Siput district police chief Supt Mohd Khaizam Ahmad Shahabudin, when contacted, said the case was being investigated under Section 507 of the Penal Code.

Meanwhile, Selangor CID chief SAC Fadzil Ahmat said that in her report lodged on Thursday (May 16) the 47year-old woman claimed that she was a former research officer and treasurer with the Sungai Siput branch of PKR.

She alleged that the harassment had been going on since December last year, Fadzil said, adding that police will only take the next course of action once several witnesses have been interviewed.

Media reports about the sexual harassment case included details such as how Kesavan had allegedly sent his accuser Kama Sutra illustrations and sexually explicit images. - Bernama