Main Suspect In Sosilawati Murder Alleges Police Brutality

PETALING JAYA, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- The main suspect in the murder of cosmetics queen Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others lodged a police report Sunday, alleging police brutality while under remand.

The 41-year-old who filed a report at the Petaling Jaya police headquarters, was escorted by several policemen and watched closely by his two lawyers, Ravi Nekoo and Pushpa Ratnam.

The suspect was seen entering the police headquarters at 4.15pm before leaving about an hour later, in a police car.

According to the report, the suspect alleged he was kicked and assaulted by policemen using a rubber hose, as well as hit on his private parts with a stick.

He said he was also forced to perform 60 repetitive squat stands until he passed out, adding that he was also forced to admit and point his finger involuntarily to where a murder victim's mobile phone was thrown.

Meanwhile, Nekoo said the police were cooperative and allowed the suspect to make a report on police mistreatment which resulted in back injuries.

"He (suspect) claimed to have been slapped and beaten until his front teeth became loose, and even experienced back pains...the suspect will be sent to the hospital for treatment but the date and hospital have not been confirmed.

"The suspect claimed he was not involved in the murder...however, he is ready to help the police in any way but hopes to be treated better and fairly," he told reporters outside the police headquarters.

On Sept 23, D. P. Vijandran, who is one of the suspect's lawyers, alleged that his client was hit and kicked, resulting in body injuries.

The matter was made known by his client during Vijandran's first visit with his two clients, which lasted 15 minutes, at the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters.

Subsequently, Bukit Aman CID director Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin told the suspect to file a police report, should they be abused or forced to sign documents by the police team during their remand period to enable a thorough investigation.

Sosilawati, 47, her driver, Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur CIMB bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, and personal lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abd Karim, 32, were reported missing since Aug 30 after they were said to have gone to Banting over a land transaction.

On Sept 13, police confirmed that the four victims were beaten to death before their bodies were burnt and the ashes scattered into a river near Ladang Gadong, Banting, Selangor.

In BANTING, a source linked to the investigations of these murders termed the Banting murders by the press, told reporters that no bodies were found at two locations police had identified as graves at Ladong Gadong.

He only said police appeared to be satisfied to have found some evidence but did not wish to disclose if they were bone fragments or personal effects of victims.

He was only willing to say that the find provided leads in the case of missing Kedah businessman Mohd Shafik Abdullah.

Mohd Shafik, who hails from Sungei Petani, is also believed to have been murdered by the same people as in the Sosilawati case.

Asked about the presence of fire and rescue personnel and fire engines at the scene, he said they were there to assist in providing water supply for the investigation team and that the assistance of Syabas was also sought to repair broken mains in the area.

Pressmen who had staked out the area from early morning till 6.55pm did not see police Land Rovers bringing out any body bags as is normally witnessed in murders and neither was there the stench of decaying corpses.

Only seen were 10 police vehicles and a backhoe entering the area together with four suspects in the case.

In other developments, S.Usharani, 27, the wife of missing Indian multi-millionaire Allal Kanthan Muthuraja, whose missing is also linked to the Banting murders, was seen entering the Kuala Langat police headquarters at 10am and leaving at 10.45.

Police have re-classified this case from missing person to murder victim.

-- BERNAMA

Three Main Suspects In Banting Murder Re-arrested

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- Three main suspects, including two lawyer brothers, in the murder of cosmetic queen Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others, have been re-arrested for investigation into the murder of a businessman from India.

Bukit Aman Crime Investigation Department deputy director, Datuk Hadi Ho Abdullah, said police would apply for an order to remand them Sunday.

The disappearance of the Indian businessman, Allal Kathan Muthuraja, was linked to the suspects in the murders of Sosilawati and the three men, when he went missing after allegedly picked up by the two lawyer brothers at the KL International Airport on arrival in Malaysia last Jan 18.

Last Wednesday,, police confirmed that Muthuraja, who was reported missing early this year, had been murdered.

Muthuraja's wife, S Usharani lodged a report at the Bating police station last Sept 8 on her husband's disappearance. Yesterday, she was at the Kuala Langat police station to give her statement.

The three suspects had been in remand since Sept 12 to assist police investigations into the brutal murder of Sosilawati, 47, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, CIMB bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, and lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abd Karim, 32, who were reported missing on Aug 30 after they went to Banting for a land purchase deal.

Police found out that they had been killed, their bodies burnt and the ashes thrown into rivers in the vicinity of Sungai Gadong, Tanjung Sepat, near Banting, Selangor.

-- BERNAMA

Businessman sues Banting brothers

KLANG: A businessman has claimed that the lawyer brothers allegedly behind the murder of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya had cheated him of RM100,000 over the purchase of a house in Banting.

In his suit filed with the Sessions Court here in 2006, M. Rajeanteran, 44, claimed that he had entered into an agreement to purchase a house at No. 6, Jalan Teratai, Taman Seri Telok Datok, Banting, worth RM250,000 from one Sabariah Mahamod on Dec 14, 1998.

The suit, which came up for hearing at the Sessions Court here yesterday, named the two brothers as the first and second defendants, and Sabariah as the third defendant.

However, judge Anita Harun postponed the matter to Oct 15 to hear an earlier application by the brothers that their insurance company was repudiating their liability in the case.

T. Rajasekaran, who acted for Rajeanteran, said the matter in the suit was the subject of a complaint brought with the Legal Disciplinary Board, which decided to strike them off the rolls last year.

“However, the lawyer brothers subsequently got a stay on the decision through the Kuala Lumpur High Court,” he said.

In his statement of claim, Rajaeanteran contended that the brothers had misrepresented themselves as lawyers and used a false legal address when they prepared the agreement, for which he paid RM100,000 as deposit.

He also claimed that he had only entered into the agreement after they led him to believe that Sabariah wanted to sell the house at below market price.

The brothers, he alleged, had also prepared a false writ of summons, which they claimed they had filed with the Shah Alam High Court against Sabariah after it was found that the redemption sum for the bank mortgage on the house was actually higher than RM150,000, the remaining sum.

The plaintiff is now seeking the RM100,000 he had paid as deposit plus interest, general and exemplary damages, costs and other relief deemed reasonable by the court.

Police: 72 Investigation Papers On Lawyers During Last 10 Years

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 (Bernama) -- Police on Tuesday denied that they were slow in taking action against lawyers who had breached the country's law.

Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said 72 investigation papers on malpractices and irregularities committed by lawyers in the state had been opened up during the last 10 years.

He said police had never ignored any case against erring lawyers and had set up a task force two years ago to monitor the involvement of lawyers in any malpractice.

He said the task force would meet every month to discuss development on cases involving lawyers in the state.

"Over the past 10 years, Selangor police have opened up 72 investigation papers on malpractices and irregularities by lawyers. In some cases, there were more than one investigation paper opened up against certain lawyers," he said in his social website Tuesday.

Khalid said six lawyers and a 'runner' for a lawyer had been prosecuted pertaining to 10 of the 72 cases reported, including one who was linked to the murder of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others.

-- BERNAMA

BANTING, Sept 21 (Bernama) -- The lawyer who is a suspect in the murders of cosmetics queen Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others was on Tuesday taken to his law firm here for a second time since his arrest over a week ago.

The 41-year-old man, wearing the purple lock-up attire, was taken to the premises by a team of policemen at 2.25pm.

About 35 minutes later, two women, believed to be staff at the law firm, were seen coming out of the office, holding several documents.

The suspect was taken out of the office at 3.05pm and was whisked away in a Proton Waja police car.

A policeman was also seen coming out of the office, holding several files.

The man was later taken to a sluice at Kampung Sungai Lang here, about 3km from the his office, where Marine Operations Force members were scouring the river for new leads.

Sosilawati, 47, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, and CIMB Bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, went missing on Aug 30 after they went to Banting in Selangor over a land deal.

Police found out that the four were killed, their bodies burnt and the ashes thrown into rivers near Ladang Gadong, Tanjung Sepat, near here.

Police arrested the man and seven others, including the man's younger brother, also a lawyer, in connection with the case.

On Sept 14, police searched the law firm and took documents and computers.

Previous reports indicated that the law firm was the last location the four victims were seen alive.

Meanwhile, the Bar Council said the certificates in legal practice for the two lawyers had been suspended and that the two were disbarred on Nov 5 last year.

Bar Council president Ragunath Kesavan told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur that the move was taken following investigation on their alleged misconduct.

The two had filed an appeal to the High Court here for a stay of the suspension order.

"Following the stay, they continued practising law but their memberships with the Bar Council have been cancelled," he said, adding that lawyers found to have misappropriated their clients' account, involved in corruption and other serious offences would have their licences cancelled.

Thirty lawyers had their licences revoked since the past five years, he added.

He described the figure as negligible because it only affected 0.02 per cent of the council's members but said that the council took seriously any report of misconduct among its members.

Ragunath also said that the Bar Council had decided not to represent the two lawyers but they both could appoint members of the bar to represent them.

He also extended condolences to the victims' families including the family of council member Ahmad Kamil, one of the murdered victims.

Ragunath reminded the people not to be too quick to pass judgment over the case.

He added that they should also carry out checks on the credentials of lawyers through the Bar Council's website before engaging them.

-- BERNAMA