I think it is most likely there is only one Razak Baginda, one Jasbir Singh Chahl and one P. Balasubramaniam. I was told the Jasbir Singh Chahl is the same person although Suaram is not too sure and thinks they may be two different people. And I think there is only one P. Balasubramaniam, the private investigator Bala, because he was the one called to France while the other, if he exists, was not.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

On 18th April 2012, Suaram submitted a long list of potential witnesses who should be called to testify when it filed its complaint at the Tribunal Grande Instance de Paris. Amongst the names Suaram proposed were Jasbir Singh Chahl; Abdul Razak Bagina; PM Najib Tun Razak; Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi; private investigator P. Balasubramaniam; the father of Altantuya Shaariibuu, Dr Setev Shaariibuu; and the chief executive of Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera, Tan Sri Lodin Wok Kamaruddin Lodin, who is also Boustead Holdings Berhad group managing director and deputy chairman.

Note that amongst that list of names are Jasbir Singh Chahl and private investigator P. Balasubramaniam (Bala).

Now, Cynthia Gabriel of Suaram said that Jasbir Singh Chahl is going to be the FIRST witness to have his statement recorded in France. However, two years ago, in July 2010, Bala went to France to have his statement recorded by the French National Police, also arranged by Suaram (see document D71 in part 4 of this report).

Why is Jasbir mentioned as the FIRST and not the SECOND witness after Bala to be called? Is it because the French are discarding Bala’s statement on grounds that it is unreliable and hence his statement is ‘not counted’, which means Jasbir would now be the first and not the second witness to be called?

If you read the news items below, you will see that Jasbir has denied any involvement in the submarine contract and has denied receiving any subpoena to go to France. Suaram also confirmed that it is another Jasbir and not the Jasbir everyone is talking about. So we have two Jasbirs here, one who is involved with the submarine contract and the other who runs a restaurant.

If the Jasbir who runs the restaurant is not the same Jasbir who was involved in the submarine contract, then which Jasbir is Suaram talking about? Actually, Suaram is not even sure.

And it appears that both Jasbirs personally know Razak Baginda. What a coincidence! But one Jasbir was involved in the submarine contract while the other Jasbir was not, although both Jasbirs know Razak Baginda.

Then we have two Balasubramaniams. One Bala was involved in the submarine contract while the other Bala was not. And, again, both Balas know Razak Baginda well plus both Balas know each other as well, just like in the case of the two Jasbirs. But the second Bala worked for Razak Baginda personally and not for Perimekar, the company that was involved in the submarine contract.

But the Bala who was called to France for his statement to be recorded in July 2010 was private investigator Bala and not submarine Bala. Submarine Bala has not been asked to go to France. He is not on Suaram’s list of witnesses. Only private investigator Bala has. So did they summon the wrong Bala to France or is there only one Bala? If there are two Balas then where is submarine Bala and why is he not being called to France for his statement to be recorded?

Private investigator Bala says he knows submarine Bala because the latter introduced the former to Razak Baginda. So both Balas know each other plus they both know Razak Baginda.

This is certainly very confusing.

Now, are there two Razak Bagindas as well or is there only one Razak Baginda? The man mentioned in the French National Police report is named as Razak Baginda and not Abdul Razak Baginda. So are we talking about the same Razak Baginda or two different Razak Bagindas, seeing that the names are slightly different (no ‘Abdul’ in the ‘Razak Baginda’ in the French police report)?

So, what do we have in the end? We have two Jasbir Singh Chahls, two P. Balasubramaniams and two Razak Bagindas (one without the Abdul). And one is involved in the submarine contract while the other is not. And they all know each other very well.

I think it is most likely there is only one Razak Baginda, one Jasbir Singh Chahl and one P. Balasubramaniam. I was told the Jasbir Singh Chahl is the same person although Suaram is not too sure and thinks they may be two different people. And I think there is only one P. Balasubramaniam, the private investigator Bala, because he was the one called to France while the other, if he exists, was not.

That reminds me of a case six years ago regarding the Iraqi ‘Oil-for-Food’ scandal. Malaysia was the fourth highest purchaser of Iraqi oil under that program totalling RM1.8 billion.

The UN oil-for-food programme allowed Saddam Hussein's government to sell oil in order to buy humanitarian supplies during UN sanctions from 1996-2003. The new Iraqi government then filed lawsuits in the US courts against firms and people suspected of illegally profiting from the UN programme.

Three people from Malaysia named in that UN report were Abdullah Badawi, Noor Asiah Dato' Mahmood (Abdullah Badawi's sister-in-law), and Faek Ahmad Shareef (Noor Asiah's ex-husband).

However, they said that this was a different Abdullah Badawi and not Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi the then Malaysian Prime Minister. And this ‘other’ Abdullah Badawi also happened to have a sister-in-law and her husband with the same names, also mentioned in that report.

So, Abdullah Badawi, Noor Asiah Dato' Mahmood (Abdullah Badawi's sister-in-law), and Faek Ahmad Shareef (Noor Asiah's ex-husband) named in that UN report were entirely different people from Abdullah Badawi the Prime Minister, Noor Asiah Dato' Mahmood (Abdullah Badawi's sister-in-law), and Faek Ahmad Shareef (Noor Asiah's ex-husband).

I suppose in Malaysia this happens very frequently. People get named in reports but they are entirely different people from those we thought. Hence the Balasubramaniam named in the French National Police report is another Bala, submarine Bala, and not Bala the private investigator. But private investigator Bala was called to France while submarine Bala was not. And submarine Bala is not on Suaram’s list of witnesses to be called while private investigator Bala is.

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(Malaysiakini, 9 August 2012) - Former private investigator P Balasubramaniam denies having served with Perimekar Sdn Bhd, saying he is not the person referred to in French court documents.

Speaking to Malaysiakini from abroad, Balasubramaniam admitted that he knew the other Balasubramaniam, who was named in court documents highlighted by Raja Petra Kamarudin in his Malaysia Today blog.

"We together worked in the security business and this Perimekar Balasubraniam was the one who introduced me to (political analyst) Abdul Razak Baginda.

"So, Raja Petra Kamarudin (or RPK) equating me with the Perimekar Balasubramaniam is untrue as he is a different person altogether.

"I was not Razak's nominee in Perimekar as I was never in the company. Raja Petra got it wrong," he said.

He added that while he knew the other Balasubramaniam, the last time he saw the man was after being introduced to Razak, when he took the 10-day job in 2006.

"When he needed help to do investigation, I was roped in. However, after I worked with Razak for 10 days, I quit," he said.

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(Free Malaysia Today, 16 June 2012) - A right hand man of defence analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, Jasbir Singh Chahl, is the first Malaysian to be subpoenaed as witness in the Scorpene case hearing currently underway in France.

“Jasbir Singh is a central figure in the negotiation and procurement process.”

“He is the first person to be served with a subpoena,” said Suaram director Cynthia Gabriel during Suaram’s Ops Scorpene fund raising dinner held at Petaling Jaya Civic Centre last night.

Gabriel claimed that Jasbir would be required to cooperate and reveal information on what had transpired in the Scorpene submarine deal that was purchased in 2002 via French submarine maker DCNS.

“He has confirmed that he would cooperate with the panel and the subpoena is being sent to his house,” Gabriel told the more than the 1,000-strong crowd present.

“The story will now come from the horse’s mouth,” Gabriel said on the purchase of two Scorpene submarines from French shipbuilding company DCNS in 2002.

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(The Malaysian Insider, 19 June 2012) - Businessman Jasbir Singh Chahl today denied he had played a central role in the sale of two French submarines to Malaysia as alleged by human rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram).

Jasbir also rubbished claims he was subpoenaed to testify in an ongoing French investigation into defence contractor DCNS.

“Following comments made by Suaram co-ordinator Cynthia Gabriel at a fundraising dinner on 15th June ... I wish to make clear that I have not received any subpoena from any jurisdiction in relation to any legal proceedings whatsoever,” Jasbir said in a statement emailed to The Malaysian Insider today.

“These are false and distressing allegations made by someone whom I do not know and indeed have never met.

“They are a total fabrication, an utter distortion of the truth and, I believe, part of a deliberate attempt to undermine my reputation and my credibility. I call for them to be immediately withdrawn,” he added.

The businessman runs an Indian restaurant, Gills, in the upscale Damansara Heights neighbourhood here where Abdul Razak used to live.

He admitted knowing the former political analyst personally when contacted by The Malaysian Insider, but maintained he had nothing to do with the Scorpene case as alleged.

Suaram had submitted a long list of potential witnesses when it filed its complaint at the Tribunal Grande instance de Paris on April 19.

Among others, Suaram proposed Jasbir Singh Chahl; Abdul Razak; PM Najib; Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi; private investigator P. Balasubramaniam; the father of murdered Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, Dr Setev Shaariibuu; and chief executive of Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT), Tan Sri Lodin Wok Kamaruddin Lodin, who is also Boustead Holdings Berhad group managing director and deputy chairman.

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(The Malaysian Insider, 19 June 2012) - A French court investigating the multimillion ringgit Scorpene submarine scandal issued its first subpoena to Jasbir Singh Chahl, a director in Malaysian naval support services firm Perimekar Sdn Bhd and not a restaurateur, human rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) said today.

“We have just double-confirmed with our lawyers that the subpoena has been issued. We don’t have further information on when it will be served,” Cynthia Gabriel, who is on Suaram’s board of directors, told The Malaysian Insider this evening.

She stressed the Jasbir Singh Chahl she was referring to was a Perimekar director and that she was unaware of any other details surrounding his life.

“We are not in contact with the witness,” she said.