Deepak: I will not be silenced

However, the carpet trader says he agreed to "sit still" for the last day of the Umno AGM after a meeting with a high-ranking Umno supreme council member.

KUALA LUMPUR: Deepak Jaikishan claimed that there was an attempt by a high ranking Umno man to ‘silence’ him following the various the interviews the carpet trader has given in the past few days.

Late Friday night, Deepak said he received a call by a “senior Umno supreme council member” asking him to meet at the Grand Dorsett Hotel in Subang. The man, who he refused to name, seemed aggressive, Deepak claimed.

Deepak said that he subsequently agreed to meet the person, but brought along some extra protection for his safety.

The meeting was also attended by a few pro-government bloggers, and Deepak said he was told not to make any more noise, at least until the end of the Umno AGM which was yesterday.

“They told me that I am under surveillance…I was given a caution because yesterday was their closing ceremony. They practically warned me not to have a press conference until they finish their convention,” he told FMT.

“I told them you cannot stop me from having press conferences… even if I have to go to the Istana Negara, I would do it. If they really force me… I would go in front of the palace and petition the King lah,” he said.

However, Deepak said he agreed to “give due respect” and cancelled all his media interviews he had lined up for Saturday.

He added that he originally thought he would be in danger but when he met the Umno man, “they were very civil”.

When asked to reveal the names of the individuals he met, Deepak said:”Oh, then I’ll be in serious trouble. Then it would be messy.” But he added:”I’m not afraid. If I am afraid I wouldn’t have come this far. I’m not under any political umbrella or anything.”

Asked if he was offered anything for his cooperation, Deepak said:” They offered me nothing. This is not something I would negotiate.”

He said that he would be giving more press conferences to explain things in full soon.

Fall-out with Najib’s family
In the past week, Deepak has resurfaced after a period of silence, giving several media interviews in which he claimed he regretted getting private investigator P Balasubramaniam to retract his first statutory declaration (SD) concerning murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Balasubramaniam’s first SD had linked Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to the murder, while the second SD claimed otherwise. Balasubramaniam subsequently went missing.

In the interviews, Deepak said that he got involved as a favour to a “female friend”.

Deepak also spoke about a land dispute case, involving him, a Selangor Umno leader and the Defence Ministry, which Najib had then helmed. Deepak has accused Najib of receiving “contributions” from him for the former’s intervention in the land deal but was upset that the premier now refused to aid him in resolving the dispute.

He also talked about a fall-out with Najib’s family after his involvement in the Altantuya matter.

Subsequently, Deepak also claimed to have been forced out of 26 companies that he was a director in. He said that he was also harassed by government agencies and had several government-linked contracts cancelled.

Yesterday, Deepak cryptically alluded to a BN defeat in the next general election, suggesting that Najib’s wife Rosmah Mansor was the weak link.

Deepak had previously referred to Rosmah as an “older sister”.