Deepak drops Shafee from PI Bala family lawsuit

The businessman has not provided reasons for his decision.

Another firm, Messrs Vinod Kamalanathan and Associates, will take over from Shafee’s firm and represent Deepak Jaikishan.

KUALA LUMPUR: Businessman Deepak Jaikishan, who has been sued by the family of the late private investigator P Balasubramaniam (PI Bala), has discharged senior lawyer Shafee Abdullah from representing him in the lawsuit.

In a letter dated May 18 to High Court trial judge Justice Hue Siew Kheng and lawyers for PI Bala’s family, the law firm of Shafee and Co said Deepak terminated its service last week.

Another firm, Messrs Vinod Kamalanathan and Associates, will take over from Shafee’s firm.

“We have informed the incoming solicitors that we have no objections to them taking over,” the letter said.

However, no reason was given on why Deepak dropped Shafee in the suit.

The High Court set May 25 for the next case management.

Shafee’s law firm previously filed Deepak’s second defence to the lawsuit by Santamil Selvi, PI Bala’s widow, against him, former prime minister Najib Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor.

Deepak’s first defence statement stated Najib and Rosmah were the masterminds who orchestrated their exile while his second defence absolved the couple from any wrongdoing.

Santamil filed the lawsuit against Najib, Rosmah, Deepak and five others, alleging the family suffered intentional harm as a result of their exile to India in 2008.

The five others named in the lawsuit included Najib’s brothers, Mohd Nazim and Johari, lawyers Sunil Abraham, Cecil Abraham and Arulampalam Mariampillai, and commissioner for oaths Zainal Abidin Muhayat.

Santamil claimed that the nine individuals had deprived her family of a normal life and caused them to suffer financial and non-financial losses.

Santamil Selvi, together with her two children, Kishen and Menaga, are seeking damages for losses suffered from July 2008 as a result of their five-year displacement.

Judge Hue, in February, allowed Santamil’s lawyers to cross-examine Deepak over his conflicting statements and whether Shafee’s firm had the authority to represent him.

However, the cross-examination was postponed twice with Deepak stating he was sick and admitted to hospital.

PI Bala was previously embroiled in a controversy over his two conflicting statutory declarations (SD) in the high-profile 2006 murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu.

He was forced to leave Malaysia for India in a hurry after signing the second SD on July 4, 2008, a day after the first was released.

Balasubramaniam, in the second SD, said he wished to retract the entire contents of his first SD dated July 1, as it had been made under duress.

Balasubramaniam, a key witness in the Altantuya trial, died of a heart attack on March 15, 2013, weeks after returning from India.

He was hired by political analyst and Najib associate Abdul Razak Baginda, to monitor Altantuya before her disappearance. -FMT