Cosmetics millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya's former husband told the High Court in Shah Alam today that he had contacted one of the four accused in the murders of his former wife and three others, to ask why she had not returned home after going to Banting on Aug 30 last year.

Buhari Mohamed, 62, said he contacted N Pathmanabhan on Sept 2, 2010 and had asked him why had Sosilawati not come home after going to Banting with bank officer Noorhisham Mohamad, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim and her driver, Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, to see him (Pathmanabhan).

“When I called Pathmanabhan, I introduced myself as ‘Buhari Gudang Garam’ and asked him where was Sosilawati. I said my daughter had lodged a report and he (Pathmanabhan) should be responsible.

“Pathmanabhan replied ‘Sosilawati is a good woman. She always has business dealings with me, how can she be missing’,” said Buhari during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Ishak Mohd Yusoff on the seventh day of the murder trial.

Pathmanabhan and three farm workers, T Thilaiyagan, R Matan and R Khatavarayan are charged with killing Sosilawati, 47, Noorhisham, 38, Ahmad Kamil, 32, and Kamaruddin, 44, at Lot 2001, Jalan Tanjong Layang, Tanjong Sepat, Banting, between 8.30pm and 9.40pm on Aug 30, 2010.

Pathmanabhan, 42, Thilaiyagan, 20, Matan, 21, and Khatavarayan, 31, were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code which was read together with Section 34 of the same act which provided the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

Buhari, a self-employed person, said that during the telephone conversation, Pathmanabhan also told him that he did not see Sosilawati on Aug 30, 2010.

Questioned by Ishak how he was able to get Pathmanabhan’s telephone number, the 24th prosecution witness said he got the number when he first met the former lawyer in 2008.

Buhari told the court that one of his daughters contacted him on the morning of Aug 31, 2010 to inform him that their mother had not returned home.

‘Mum went to Banting for land deal’

“I asked her where did her mother go. She said she (mother) went to Banting for a land deal with lawyer Pathma. I said if it is lawyer Pathma, then I have met him once and know where his office is.

“I then asked my daughter to come to my place in Selayang so that we can go together to Banting.

“Meanwhile, I tried to call Sosilawati, but could not get her and then called Rita (Sosilawati’s eldest daughter, Erni Dekritawati Yuliana). She said she was in Shah Alam to ascertain whether Noorhisham’s car was still there and she said the car was still there.

“I said to her that it meant they had not come back and then told Rita to wait for me in front of Klang Hospital to together go to Banting,” he added.

Ishak: What happened next?

Buhari: From Klang, we went to Banting in two cars and looked for Pathmanabhan’s office. I had forgotten the address, but I remembered it was on the right side of the main road leading to Morib. We circled the area for almost three hours, but could not find the office and when we asked passers-by, they also didn’t know.

Buhari, who divorced Sosilawati in 2006 after 21 years of marriage, said after failing to find Pathmanabhan's office, they returned to Kuala Lumpur at about 5pm for the breaking of fast.

He said he also discussed with his children on lodging a police report that night.

Ishak: You have Pathmanabhan’s telephone number. Why didn’t you contact him when looking for his office in Banting?

Buhari: When I asked for Pathmanabhan’s telephone number, I wrote it on a copy of a sale and purchase agreement  for a piece of land and during the search for his office in banting, I had left it in the office.

Ishak: You told the court that the first time you met Pathmanabhan was in 2008, where?

Buhari: I met him at his office in Banting around March with Sosilawati, and at that time, Sosilawati asked me to read a sale and purchase agreement for a land deal in Penang by Southern Symphony (where Sosilawati was a company director) whether it was correct because she knew I knew a little bit about agreement since I used to work in a bank for about 15 years and was a bank manager for about eight years.

Incomplete information on seller

Buhari said that during the meeting, he raised six matters on the sales and purchase agreement, including incomplete information on the seller and there was also problems with the agreement because there was still a caveat on the land.

Ishak: What was Sosilawati's reaction when you raised the problem?

Buhari: Pathmanabhan said he had been a lawyer for a long timer and an experienced one and that he could solve the problem. Sosilawati did not make any comments, but I regretted that she took me after the agreement had been signed and 10 percent (deposit) had been paid to Pathmanabhan, so there’s nothing I could do.

Ishak: How was the situation during the discussion?

Buhari: A little bit hot because I commented alot on the agreement and because he (Pathmanabhan) said he was a lawyer and he understood better.

Cross-examined by lawyer Manjeet Singh Dillon, who represented Pathmanabhan, whether he knew about the financial position of Sosilawati's companies in August 2010, agreed that Southern Symphony was a RM2 company, Buhari said he knew a little bit about them.

“According to my daughter, Sosilawati has RM40 million under her personal name and not declared in the company’s account,” he added.

- Bernama