‘Sosilawati and trio were in Banting’

Phone records prove they were there to meet lawyer, court told

SHAH ALAM: Cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three companions went to Ladang Gadong two years ago with the intention to meet former lawyer N. Pathmanabhan, the High Court heard.

DPP Ishak Mohd Yusoff said Sosilawati’s daughter Erni Dekritawati Yuliana Buhari testified that her mother planned to head to Banting on Aug 30, 2010, with the three men to speed up a post-dated cheque of Rm3mil.

However, Sosilawati, 47, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, bank officer Noorhisham Mohamad, 38, and lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, went missing that day.

Pathmanabhan, 42, and farm hands T. Thilaiyalagan, 20, R. Matan, 21, and R. Kathavarayan, 31, are accused of their murders at Lot 2001, Jalan Tanjung Layang, Tanjung Sepat, Banting, between 8.30pm and 9.45pm on Aug 30, 2010.

DPP Ishak said the testimonies of the victims’ family and friends who knew of their intention to go to Banting were supported by phone records obtained from telecommunication companies.

The prosecution also referred to the testimony of former domestic helper Siti Hamidah Karnax, who said she saw a woman and three men at the farm on that day.

During submissions yesterday, DPP Ishak said Pathmanabhan lied to Sosilawati’s exhusband Buhari Mohamed when he (Pathmanabhan) said he did not meet her that day.

“This is a deliberate lie on the part of the accused and on this ground alone, defence should be called.”

He rebutted the defence’s submission on the absence of a murder weapon by singling out the presence of Noorhisham’s blood on a cricket bat and on a six-foot high wall.

“This indicates a very simple but telling inference that Noorhisham was present at that place and that some sort of injury must have been inflicted on him at that location,” he said.

The prosecution contended that one of the accused must have done such an act towards Noorhisham as all the accused were present at the farm on Aug 30, 2010.

“The utmost importance is the discovery of zinc sheets with the DNA of Ahmad Kamil and Kamaruddin on it. We submit that those zincs must have come in contact with the two for the DNA and human tissues to be present on the sheets.”

He noted the prosecution had relied on the evidence of two witnesses for direct evidence on what happened that day at Ladang Gadong.

Sadly, he argued, both witnesses turned hostile, resulting in impeachment proceedings.

“As a result of the unfortunate event, the prosecution had to rely on strong circumstantial evidence.”

The submissions hearing continues before Justice Akhtar Tahir today.