Court: Witness Receives RM10,000 As Birthday Gift From First Accused

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 – A man who was formerly an accused in the murder of deputy public prosecutor Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais told the High Court here today that he received RM10,000 as a gift from pathologist Colonel Dr K. Kunaseegaran, the first accused in the murder case.

G.Gunasekaran, 49, who was formerly the second accused in the murder case, said Dr Kunaseegaran gave him the money as a birthday gift on Aug 8 last year. “Yes, he gave me RM10,000 in conjunction with my birthday. I used the money to renovate my food shop at Jalan USJ1/6 Subang Jaya,” he said during cross-examination by Dr Kunaseegaran’s lawyer, Datuk N.Sivananthan.

Gunasekaran, who is the 54th prosecution witness, was testifying on the 38th day trial of the murder case. He was called to testify as a witness after changing his not guilty plea to guilty on a charge of concealing Kevin Morais’ body and disposing of the deceased’s car.

On Dec 20 last year, Gunasekaran was sentenced to two years’ jail by the Sessions Court here for the offence, and was ordered to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest on Sept 15, 2015.  He completed serving the jail sentence last Jan 15 and had been released.

Earlier, Gunasekaran told the court that his relations with Dr Kunaseegaran was very close because when S. Ravi Chandaran (the sixth accused) was not around, the pathologist would contact him and they both would go out together. Gunasekaran said he first met Dr Kunaseegaran about four or five months before the murder and they were introduced by Ravi Chandaran, who had been his friend for more than 20 years.

Questioned by Sivananthan on his first meeting with the four other accused – R.Dinishwaran, A.K. Thinesh Kumar, M.Vishwanath and S. Nimalan – Gunasekaran said it was on Sept 3, 2015, at Restoran Syed Bistro, Petaling Jaya and then at several other places. To another question by Sivananthan whether Dr Kunaseegaran had ever mentioned that he would do something to Kevin Morais for making additional charges in a court case in Shah Alam, Gunasekaran said he never did.

Five men – Dinishwaran, 25; Thinesh Kumar, 24; Vishwanath, 27; Nimalan, 24; and Ravi Chandaran, 46, had pleaded not guilty and claimed trial to a charge of murdering Kevin Morais along Jalan Dutamas Raya Sentul to No. 1 Jalan USJ1/6D, Subang Jaya, between 7am and 8pm on Sept 4, 2015. Dr Kunaseegaran, 54, pleaded not guilty claimed trial to abetting them in committing the offence at the same place, date and time. The hearing before Judge Datuk Azman Abdullah continues tomorrow. — Bernama