The seventh accused in the murder of deputy public prosecutor Kevin Morais told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today that he was offered RM3.5 million by former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak to plead guilty to the crime.

S Ravi Chandaran, 47, told the court that the offer was made through a Prisons Department officer. He also claimed he received an offer from Morais’s younger brother, Richard, to do the same.

Ravi Chandaran said this when cross-examined by N Sivananthan, the lawyer of military pathologist Dr R Kunaseegaran.

Sivananthan: You said Kunaseegaran offered RM1.5 million for you to admit guilt. This was done on Dec 29. 2017.

Ravi Chandaran: True.

Sivananthan: You also lodged a police report that on Jan 26, 2018, Richard Morais offered RM2 million to you to plead guilty.

Ravi Chandaran: Yes, true.

Sivananthan: In the same report you said in February 2018, there was a prisons officer who offered you RM3.5 million to plead guilty on behalf of Najib Abdul Razak.

Ravi Chandaran: Yes, true.

Ravi Chandaran also agreed to Sivananthan's suggestion that the amount of money offered to him by the individuals concerned for him to plead guilty totalled RM7 million.

He disagreed with the suggestion that he made up the story about the money, and that the named individuals had no reason to offer him said money.

When asked whether Kunaseegaran had ordered him to kill Morais, the accused said: "No."

To a question on whether Kunaseegaran had ordered him to do something to Morais, such as kidnapping him, the accused also replied in the negative.

Previously, Ravi Chandaran told the court that Kunaseegaran had offered him RM1.5 million if he pleaded guilty to killing Morais.

Besides Kunaseegaran and Ravi Chandaran, R Dinishwaran, AK Thinesh Kumar, M Vishwanath and S Nimalan had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Morais during the victim's journey from Sentul to Subang Jaya on Sept 4, 2015.

All are charged under Section 302 read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

Dinishwaran, Thinesh Kumar, Vishwanath, Nimalan and Ravi Chandaran are represented by V Rajehgopal.

The prosecution is led by deputy public prosecutor Saiful Edris Zainuddin.

The hearing before Judge Azman Abdullah resumes on Friday.

- Bernama