Latest Press Statement

Press Statements by Sivarasa Rasiah and Americk Sidhu on the retraction of P. Balasubramaniam’s Statutory Declaration

Thank you for joining the live webcast of the press conference. KeADILan Vice President Sivarasa Rasiah (MP for Subang) and lawyer for P. Balasubramaniam, Americk Sidhu’s statements are below.

— PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BY AMERICK SINGH SIDHU —

4 July 2008, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

I have been made to understand that Mr. Balasubramaniam a/l Perumal has issued a statutory declaration at a press conference held at the Prince Hotel at 11.00 am this morning, retracting his earlier statutory declaration affirmed on the 1st July 2008.

The reason given for this retraction is that his original statutory declaration, recorded by myself, was “compelled to be affirmed under duress”.

No details of this alleged compulsion and duress have been put forth. Mr. Bala is reported as not answering when asked this morning in his press conference who was it who intimidated him.

For the record, I confirm that the statutory declaration affirmed by Mr.Bala on 1st July 2008 which he released yesterday was affirmed voluntarily before a commissioner for oaths Dr. T. Yokheswarem and in my presence.

I first met Mr. Bala in the presence of a few other persons in a restaurant about two months ago where he asked me to assist with preparing a formal document incorporating some evidence that had not been presented in the ongoing Altantuya trial. I started the process about two weeks after that. I would have met him a few times where I recorded in long hand, what Mr. Bala told me. ... selanjutnya.