Americk defends Anwar, PI Bala

He says his client is being slandered by “armchair eunuchs”.

PETALING JAYA: Private investigator P Balasubramaniam’s lawyer has denied that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim promised to pay his client for the statutory declaration that he affirmed on July 1, 2008, which alleged the involvement of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in the murder of Mongolian beauty Altantuya Shaariibu.

Responding to a recent article by blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, Americk Siddhu said his client did receive money for affirming a statutory declaration, but the paymaster was businessman Deepak Jaikishan and the declaration was one that came on July 4, 2008, contradicting the earlier one.

“Balasubramaniam has sacrificed a lot and yet he is being slandered by a bunch of armchair eunuchs who have nothing better to do than to pour scorn on his efforts to pursue what is right,” said Americk.

Raja Petra quoted an MACC source as saying that Deepak had told the anti-corruption agency about Anwar promising RM700,000 to Bala.

Americk’s denial was a reiteration of Balasubramaniam’s dismissal of the allegation in Raja Petra’s article, which appeared last Monday.

“I swear on my mother that I do not know anything about this RM700,000,” the private investigator said on Tuesday. “All these accusations against me are bullshit.”

Balasubramaniam said he had met Anwar only on two occasions – in 1994 when he was on official and on July 3, at a press conference disclosing the first statutory declaration.

According to Americk, Raja Petra is aware that no money was involved in the signing of the July 1 declaration.

“This is the truth,” he said.

Referring to Deepak’s statement to MACC, the lawyer said Raja Petra could have confused it with a statement that the businessman made in 2008.

“Raja Petra should have checked the information he got from his sources, but he did not,” he said.