PI Bala’s widow suit: Deepak only one yet to file defence

Carpet businessperson Deepak Jaikishian has yet to file his defence on a suit filed by A Santamil Selvi and her three children over the statutory declaration made by her late husband, P Balasubramaniam, with regard to the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder.

Deepak's lawyer Sarah Abishegam told reporters outside the High Court in Kuala Lumpur today that the firm of Shafee and Co will submit the defence on Monday.

Checks by Malaysiakini revealed that the other defendants named - Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, his wife Rosmah Mansor, his siblings Ahmad Johari and Nazim, lawyers Cecil Abraham, Sunil Abraham and M Arulampalam, as well as commissioner of oaths Zainal Abidin Muhayat - have already filed their defence.

Last month, Justice Hue Siew Kheng refused to allow a stay by the defendants from filing their defence pending their striking-out application.

Following that, Santamil Selvi's lawyer Americk Singh Sidhu (photo) told reporters that Hue has now fixed Dec 7 to hear the striking out applications by the defendants.

In 2012, Deepak told Malaysiakini that Najib and members of his family had a role in private eye Balasubramaniam's retraction of his original statutory declaration, which implicated Najib, who was then deputy prime minister, in the Altantuya scandal.

Deepak also at the time withdrew his striking-out application, discharged senior lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, and told the court that he was appearing on his own.

However, Shafee was reappointed as Deepak's lawyer, according to a court notice dated Oct 30 that was sighted by Malaysiakini.

Santamil Selvi and her children filed the suit on Aug 1, claiming injury and loss of income, following the family's exile to India in 2008 after Balasubramaniam's second statutory declaration on Altantuya's murder.

The first statutory declaration, made in 2008, is said to contain damning allegations against Najib and his purported links to the Mongolian national Altantuya.

Following the signing of the declaration, the family claimed that Rosmah summoned Deepak to Sri Satria – Najib's official residence at the time – for a meeting, which is purported to have led to the second statutory declaration.

This was signed a day after the retraction of the first declaration and it eventually resulted in the family's exile.

The widow had exhausted her claim against the same defendants two years ago, after the Federal Court upheld a High Court decision to strike out her claim of conspiracy.- Mkini