How innocent is Bala in the matter of Altantuya’s murder? Was he an accomplice? He appears to be a key player and not just an ‘independent’ private investigator. Was Bala ‘surprised’ by Altantuya’s murder or was he one of those whose job was to make the murder possible? He did admit that his role was to ‘hold’ Altantuya until the others arrived.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

On Thursday, 3rd July 2008, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim held a press conference at the Parti Keadilan Nasional party headquarters in Merchant Square, Tropicana, Petaling Jaya. At this press conference, private investigator Balasubramaniam a/l Perumal (a.k.a. P. Balasubramaniam) revealed his Statutory Declaration dated 1st July 2008 that said, amongst others:

Sometime in June or July 2006, I was employed by Abdul Razak Baginda for a period of 10 days to look after him at his office at the Bangunan Getah Asli, Jalan Ampang between the hours of 8am to 5pm each working day as apparently he was experiencing disturbances from a third party.

On the 19.10.2006, I arrived at Abdul Razak Baginda’s house in Damansara Heights to begin my night duty. I had parked my car outside as usual. I saw a yellow Proton Perdana taxi pass by with 3 ladies inside, one of whom was Aminah. The taxi did a U-turn and stopped in front of the house where these ladies rolled down the window and wished me Happy Deepavali. The taxi then left.

About 20 minutes later the taxi returned with only Aminah in it. She got out of the taxi and walked towards me and started talking to me. I sent an SMS to Abdul Razak Baginda informing him "Aminah was here". I received an SMS from Razak instructing me "To delay her until my man comes".

After talking to Aminah for about 15 minutes, a red Proton Aeroback arrived with a woman and two men. I now know the woman to be Lance Corporal Rohaniza and the men, Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azahar. They were all in plain clothes. Azilah walked towards me while the other two stayed in the car.

Azilah asked me whether the woman was Aminah and I said ‘Yes’. He then walked off and made a few calls on his handphone. After 10 minutes another vehicle, a blue proton saga, driven by a Malay man, passed by slowly. The driver’s window had been wound down and the driver was looking at us.

Azilah then informed me they would be taking Aminah away. I informed Aminah they were arresting her. The other two persons then got out of the red proton and exchanged seats so that Lance Corporal Rohaniza and Aminah were in the back while the two men were in the front. They drove off and that is the last I ever saw of Aminah.

Now, Bala said in his Statutory Declaration that Abdul Razak Baginda employed him in June/July 2006. Didier Arnaud, however, as revealed in part 1 of this report, told the French National Police that as far back as 2000 Bala was already part of the Perimekar team.

So when was Bala first employed by Razak, in 2000 or 2006?

We know what Bala’s role in 2006 was -- and that was to solve Razak’s ‘problem’ with Altantuya Shaariibuu. But what was Bala’s role since 2000 as one of the ‘team members’ of Perimekar? Therefore, did Bala start working for Razak in 2006, as he claimed, or was it in 2000, as what the French National Police claim?

Another puzzling part of Bala’s testimony is concerning Musa Safri. Bala said, “After 10 minutes another vehicle, a blue proton saga, driven by a Malay man, passed by slowly. The driver’s window had been wound down and the driver was looking at us.”

Bala did not identify this person, and in his press conference in London two years later, he said that he initially did not know who this man was but only later did he find out that it was Musa Safri. And he only knew that it was Musa Safri because, by chance, he saw Musa Safri’s name and face on TV. Hence he only found out a few years later that the Malay man in the blue Proton was actually Musa Safri, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s special officer.

However, in his 1st July 2008 Statutory Declaration, Bala said, “I then received a call on my handphone from Musa Safri and duly handed the phone to the Dang Wangi Inspector. The conversation lasted 3–4 minutes after which he told the girls to disperse and to go to see him the next day. “

Now, let us analyse Bala’s statement in his 1st July 2008 Statutory Declaration. On 14th October 2006, Bala receives a phone call on his mobile phone from a man he identified as Musa Safri. This would mean that Bala and Musa knew each other. However, five days later on 19th October 2006, Bala did not appear to know whom the Malay man in the blue Proton was and only found out, by chance, a few years later the identity of this person.

Note that in the same Statutory Declaration Bala said (1) he did not know whom the Malay man in the blue Proton was and that (2) he had received a phone call, five days earlier, from a person named Musa Safri. Bala insisted that he had told the police he did not know the identity of the Malay man in the blue Proton. Then, two years later, he said that the Malay man in the blue Proton was Musa Safri.

Looking closely at what Bala said in his Statutory Declaration and what the French National Police reported, it appears that Bala was not just an independent private investigator employed merely to monitor Altantuya. Bala already had links with Razak six years before that. And Bala admitted that, on the night Altantuya was murdered, his job was to hold Altantuya until the others could arrive to take her away.

How innocent is Bala in the matter of Altantuya’s murder? Was he an accomplice? He appears to be a key player and not just an ‘independent’ private investigator. Was Bala ‘surprised’ by Altantuya’s murder or was he one of those whose job was to make the murder possible? He did admit that his role was to ‘hold’ Altantuya until the others arrived.

Bala said he told Altantuya that they were there to arrest her. But Bala also said that they were there to ‘take her away’. He did not say they were there to arrest her. Bala knows that this was not the normal procedure of how the police make an arrest.

Bala used to be a police officer. Therefore, would he not know that the police officers that came to take Altantuya away were not in uniform, were off-duty, plus were in a private car and were not driving an unmarked police vehicle? Hence were they there to arrest Altantuya or were they planning something more sinister? And why the need to hide the identity of Musa Safri, a person who Bala knew and who had phoned him five days earlier when he was in the Dang Wangi Police Station?

Based on what Bala testified a couple of times, it appears that Bala’s role goes deeper than what he claims. And, according to the French National Police, Bala’s testimony in Paris is unreliable and contradicts the findings of the French investigators. The French police do not think that Bala is an ‘innocent bystander’, as the impression he tries to give. However, the French investigation is focused on the corruption aspects of the submarine contract and not regarding Altantuya’s murder, so this matter will probably go no further.

In part 3 tomorrow we will talk about how I first met Bala and the hidden hands masterminding Bala's moves over the last four years.