'MACC responsible for delay in meeting Bala'

Lawyer Manjeet Singh Dhillon has rubbished claims by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) that it was prepared to meet his client, P Balasubramaniam, much earlier than the stipulated July date.Balasubramaniam (right), the private investigator involved in the Altantuya Shaariibuu saga, has always been ready and available for MACC to interview but it had not responded, said Manjeet."MACC director of investigations Mustafar Ali has been pulling the wool over everyone's eyes, this is absolute rubbish," he said.
"This July date is a new thing that has come about because finally they have agreed to meet him at a place other then the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore," Manjeet told Malaysiakini.He added that since the MACC statement on May 22 that they were ready to record their client's statement, they have yet to contact him or Americk Singh Sidhu, his colleague on the case.Manjeet was responding to an article in the New Straits Times today, which quoted Mustafar saying that the commission was ready a long time ago.In the article the MACC director said, "But he said he would only be ready in July. We are accomodating his request."Mustafar also told the daily that MACC had to identify a proper place to record Balasubramaniam's statement, and not simply pander to his wishes.
'Not political tool'

Manjeet, who is a former sessions judge and former Bar Council chairperson, also said it was ridiculous for Mustafar to suggest an alternative place like the Malaysian High Commission in London as the venue for the July meeting."The MACC should stop using the media to project an image that is inconsistent with the facts. Mustafar needs to re-examine his priorities and decide whose interests he is serving: the nation's or something else's. MACC must appreciate they are not a political tool," he said.Manjeet (right) said if the MACC was serious and sincere in their job, they should have responded to his letter dated Jan 22, where he noted the Official Secrets Act (OSA) does not apply to what Bala had to say.The letter was a response to MACC's request that the interview be classified under the OSA. The lawyers had argued that since most of what had been revealed is already in the public domain of the blogs and the internet, it was inappropriate to label it under the Act.On July 3, 2008, Balasubramaniam made a sensational statutory declaration pertaining to the murder of Altantuya, but retracted it the next day and subsequently left the country with his family.
On Friday May 22, the MACC had finally expressed willingness to meet Balasubramaniam in London to record his statement, following a statement by Manjeet and Americk a day earlier that their client is awaiting to be interviewed by MACC, reiterating he was "ready, willing and able to do so"

Source : http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/132658