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Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Witness: House offered to Eusoff

KUALA LUMPUR: This is the house which Datuk V.K. Lingam allegedly offered to former chief justice Tun Mohamed Eusoff Chin.

The double-storey bungalow is located at Jalan SS1/38 in Petaling Jaya.

Witness V.K. Thirunama Karasu told the inquiry that the house belonged to his brother, Datuk V.K. Lingam, who had offered it to Eusoff in 1995.

Eusoff and his wife were taken to the house and after viewing it, decided that they did not want it.

Questioned by Malaysian Bar counsel Christopher Leong, Thirunama yesterday said he held the keys to the house in 1995.

Thirunama: It was Lingam's house. The house was not furnished then.

Leong: If he (Lingam) wanted to see the house, he would ask the keys from you?

Thirunama: Yes.

Leong: In October 1995, did you accompany Lingam, Eusoff and his wife to view the house?

Thirunama: Yes.

The witness said Lingam had no intention to rent or sell the house and it was not shown to anyone other than Eusoff and his wife.

Leong: Were Lingam's bodyguards, Ramli Ibrahim and Budiman Bahador, present at that time (when Eusoff and his wife visited the house)?

Thirunama: Yes, they had been with him since 1995 and 1996. I do not know who employed them.

Leong: Did Lingam tell you that he wanted to give the house to Eusoff?

Thirunama: Yes.

Leong: Did he say for what purpose?

Thirunama: I do not not know why or for what purpose.

Leong: Did you inform the Anti-Corruption Agency of this in 1998.

Thirunama: I told them when it started investigations in March 1998.

Earlier, the witness told the inquiry that he took Lingam to Eusoff's house seven or eight times in 1996.

"I dropped Lingam at the house. He told me he had something confidential to talk about with Eusoff," he said.

"On all occasions, Lingam ordered me to go back home and wait for his phone call."

Thirunama also told the inquiry that the visits to the former chief justice's house were at night.

Leong: Would Lingam bring his files along?

Thirunama: Yes. They were similar to the ones in his office.

Leong: Do you know the contents of the file ?

Thirunama: He told me once that this concerned the Ayer Molek versus Insas case.

The witness also told the inquiry of his visits to Eusoff's house to deliver a briefcase, handbag and wallet from his brother.

He said there was a brown envelope in the briefcase containing several sheets of A4-sized papers.

"I do not know the contents of the documents."

On the purchase of a handphone for Eusoff, the witness said he had registered the number with Mutiara Tele-communications and stored the number in his black note book which he handed to the ACA in 1998.

Hearing continues on Tuesday.