The men charged with murdering DPP Kevin Morais are led by policemen outside the Duta Court Complex in Kuala Lumpur, September 28, 2015. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — The seventh accused in the murder of Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais today denied that all the testimony he had given during the defence proceedings in the High Court here were lies or made up.

S. Ravi Chandaran, 47, who is also the sixth defence witness, disagreed that he was in a “desperate situation” by dragging in a lawyer and former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the case.

Ravi Chandaran said this during cross-examination by DPP Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin on the 25th day of the defence proceedings today.

Wan Shaharuddin: You were arrested on September 15, 2015? On the way back to your ‘hometown’ (in Kedah),”?

Ravi Chandaran: Yes

Wan Shaharuddin: When arrested, all the police asked was about this (murder) incident?

Ravi Chandaran: Yes

Wan Shaharuddin: If you wanted to tell something, it was the earliest chance you had (to tell the real story).

Ravi Chandaran: Yes

Wan Shaharuddin: Did you reveal everything to the police?

Ravi Chandaran: No, I did not mention a lot of things.

Wan Shaharuddin: You did not mention a lot of things because the things you said in court were lies and made up stories.

Ravi Chandaran: I disagree.

Wan Shaharuddin: If you’re innocent, you had a chance to tell everything on September 15.

Ravi Chandaran: I disagree.

Wan Shaharuddin: By everything, I mean the events surrounding the murder of Kevin Morais, the involvement of the lawyer representing the first accused and Datuk Seri Najib. You did not reveal this (earlier) because the things you told the court did not happen.

Ravi Chandaran: I disagree.

Wan Shaharuddin: You are now desperate to drag just about anyone with you (into the case), for you’re actually the mastermind, along with (pathologist) Colonel Dr R. Kunaseegaran in the murder of Kevin Morais, so much so you were willing to implicate lawyers (Datuk) N. Sivananthan and (Datuk) Geethan (Ram Vincent).

Ravi Chandaran: I disagree

The accused also disagreed with Wan Shaharuddin’s suggestion that the four other accused R. Dinishwaran, AK Thinesh Kumar, M. Vishwanath; and S. Nimalan were the henchmen of Dr Kunaseegaran and himself.

In a previous proceeding, Ravi Chandaran admitted that he had lodged a police report claiming that the former prime minister had offered RM3.5 million through prison officials to plead guilty to killing Kevin Morais.

In the police report, he also claimed that Kevin Morais’s brother, Datuk Richard Morais had offered him RM2 million for the same purpose, while in court during his testimony, he said Dr Kunaseegaran had offered RM1.5 million to plead guilty as well.

Dinishwaran, Thinesh Kumar, Vishwanath; Nimalan, Ravi Chandaran, and Dr Kunaseegaran, all pleaded not guilty to the charge of killing Kevin Morais on the way from Jalan Dutamas 1, Sentul to No.1 Jalan USJ 1/6D, Subang Jaya, between 7am and 8pm, on September 4, 2015, under Section 302 of the Penal Code and read together with Section 34 of the same Act which carries the mandatory death sentence, if convicted.

Dinishwaran, 26, Thinesh Kumar, 25, Vishwanath; 28, Nimalan, 25, and Ravi Chandaran, are represented by lawyer V. Rajehgopal while Dr Kunaseegaran, 55, is represented by counsel Sivananthan. The prosecution led by DPP Saiful Edris Zainuddin.

The trial before Judge Datuk Azman Abdullah continues on October 26. — Bernama