Accused fears for his life
> Suspect tells court testimony may be his last, requests to speak to judge
KUALA LUMPUR: An accused in the murder trial of deputy public prosecutor Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais told the judge that his testimony may be his last.
S. Ravi Chandaran, 47, asked to speak to High Court judge Datuk Azman Abdullah as he took his stand implying that his life was under threat as the trial entered its 15th day at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
“Can I speak to Yang Arif? After I give this testimony, I don’t know if I will be alive or dead. This may be my last testimony,” Ravi, who is the seventh accused, said in Tamil through the court translator.
However, Azman told him that if there were any issues, he should speak to his lawyer V. Rajehgopal.
Rajehgopal replied that he is only representing the accused in this case and does not know about his personal problems.
During cross examination by Rajehgopal, Ravi said that G. Gunasekaran, or Jay, (the second accused who was later acquitted) told the accused that he needed to collect money that he had lent to someone who lived in Dutamas on Sept 3, 2015.
“Jay said he needed to collect the money from someone he lent it to. We drove to Dutamas and waited there for about 15-20 minutes,” he told the court.
Ravi said he had questioned Jay if he was so rich that he had money to loan to a person who lived in Dutamas.
“I asked him how much was the amount but he said he would only tell me later,” Ravi said when Rajehgopal asked him about the details of the money involved.
Ravi said he has known Jay for 23 years and helped him out years ago when Jay was out of a job and faced financial difficulties.
In December last year, the High Court discharged and acquitted Jay after DPP Saiful Edris Zainuddin applied to withdraw the murder charge against him.
Jay became the prosecution’s witness after he pleaded guilty in the sessions court to concealing Morais’ body and disposing the number plate of the deceased’s car, WA 6264Q.
He was sentenced to two years’ jail effective from the date of his arrest on Sept 15, 2015.
Morais was reported missing on Sept 4, 2015.
He was seen leaving his apartment at Menara Duta and driving away in a Proton Perdana.
His body was found inside a drum filled with cement at Persiaran Subang Mewah, Subang Jaya near here, on Sept 16, 2015.
R. Dinishwaran, A. K. Thinesh Kumar, M. Vishwanath, Nimalan, S. Ravi Chandaran, and army colonel Dr R. Kunaseegaran, pleaded not guilty to the charge of killing Morais on the way from Jalan Dutamas 1, Sentul to No.1 Jalan USJ 1 / 6D, Subang Jaya, between 7am and 8 pm, on Sept 4, 2015 under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same code which carries the mandatory death sentence. Ravi will continue his testimony today. There are six more witnesses who will be called to testify.