Kapar MP applies to set aside arrest warrant

Kapar MP S Manikavasagam this morning filed an application to set aside a coroner's decision to issue a warrant of arrest against him yesterday.

Manikavasagam filed the application through his lawyer N Surendran at the Magistrate's Court registry in Jalan Duta at 10.40am.

In his application, he is seeking to quash the decision of coroner Mohd Faizi Che Abu to issue the warrant of arrest against him.

The matter will be heard tomorrow before Mohd Faizi.

Surendran claimed this was the first time that someone had been issued an arrest warrant despite not being served with a subpoena.

Manikavasagam said he would attend the next hearing on July 9 "with or without the subpoena".

Pledging to ‘reveal all’ at the inquest, he said this would include video footage of K Sujatha's funeral and her employer S Vell Paari's alleged reaction to her death.

"A copy of the VCD has been handed to the police and also to inspector-general of police Musa Hassan, yet no action has been taken.

“There is a second copy of the VCD given by (a member of) the public which I will also reveal at the inquest," he said, without providing details.”

Even though he has applied to strike out the arrest warrant, Manikavasagam said he is prepared to be arrested.

Yesterday, Mohd Faizi issued the warrant after he ruled Manikavasagan did not want to accept the subpoena to testify at the inquest.

Sujatha died on June 25, 2007, at the age of 28, four days after being admitted to the Klang Hospital, after she allegedly drank weedkiller.

She had worked for Vell Paari, who helms the MIC investment arm Maika Holdings and who is also the son of MIC president S Samy Vellu.

Her alleged personal relationship with him has excited much public comment. While he has denied any romantic links, his testimony revealed that he had spent lavishly on her.

Vell Paari had also testified that his cousin Dr SP Sakthiveloo, had been with him when Sujatha was taken to the hospital for treatment after consuming paraquat.

Manikavasagam asked why potential witnesses such as Indrani Samy (Vell Paari’s mother) and Shaila Nair (Vell Paari's wife) have not been called to testify.

‘Clear interest’ established

In his supporting affidavit, Manikavasagam denied refusing to accept the subpoena as stated by Chief Inspector Tay Chew Thwa during yesterday’s hearing of the inquest.

“I asked him to send the warrant either to my house or office, but not to Parliament House. The police know my home address or they can ask around anyone in Kapar,” he reiterated.

“I am also puzzled as to why they tried to send the subpoena late as they have known the trial dates since last month. I believe the police and the prosecution were negligent and incompetent in trying to serve it two or three days before the hearing.”

He also denied any intention to avoid attending the inquest when, as an activist and a politician, he had been working hard to “ensure justice” to Sujatha.

Manikavasagam said that, at the start of the inquest on March 17, he had applied for his lawyers to be allowed to question the witnesses, but that the court had rejected it.

“It is clear that I want to participate and give evidence in this inquest when I made the application,” he said.

“Furthermore, I was there for the first two days of the (inquest). I was told that the court would issue a subpoena if it wanted me to testify.”

Manikavasagam claimed he was puzzled as to why Tay had called him at 8am yesterday to testify at the inquest, when he had yet to be served with the subpoena.

In addition to the short notice, the Kapar MP claimed he had to attend the Dewan Rakyat sitting from June 22.

He further claimed that his lawyers had told him that the warrant of arrest had been wrongly issued in terms of the law.