Lawyer Kamal Hisham Jaafar, who had allegedly embezzled RM660,000 from Johor-based company Southern Ads Sdn Bhd, wants to return to Malaysia if the authorities can guarantee his safety.

He said he could not return immediately to answer the allegations for fear of his safety after receiving five death threats since last year.

Kamal Hisham, who is also the company's director, is now in Dubai and requests for help from the government, police and Home Ministry to help ensure his safety.

"I want to come back as soon as possible to give my statement to the police and clear my name, but with the condition that I will be safe.

"If I cannot go back to Malaysia, I am ready to go to Thailand to provide a statement. I can also give a statement at the Malaysian Embassy in Dubai so this matter can be resolved quickly," he told Bernama when contacted in Dubai today.

However, Kamal Hisham, 42, declined to reveal details on the death threats he received.

'Someone from Malaysia paid to kill me'

Last Tuesday, the company's lawyer, Baljit Singh Sidhu, urged Kamal Hisham to return and prove his innocence in the case.

"I was supposed to come back to Malaysia yesterday to give a statement as a witness, but how can I do so after I received more than one death threat... I really miss my family," said Kamal Hisham.

He has subsequently uploaded a video on YouTube claiming that he is being hunted by someone from Malaysia who was paid to kill him.

The 10-minute video titled Rayuan Seorang Peguam (Plea of a Lawyer) shows Kamal Hisham talking about his difficulty in returning home.

"I am worried, scared and stressed out because this involves my safety and life as well as my family," he says in the video clip.

Kamal Hisham left Malaysia in April 2011 after reports against him were made by the company on March 31, claiming there were criminal elements in the way he managed the company.

- Bernama