KJ denies warning Joshua and Ruth Hilmy to leave country
- UPDATED 9.30PM: Added Khairy’s denial.
SUHAKAM INQUIRY | Former youth and sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin has denied reaching out to the missing persons Joshua Hilmy (above) and Ruth Hilmy with a warning to urge them to leave the country.
This came after the fifth witness at a Suhakam inquiry on the duo’s disappearance made the claim against the Rembau MP...
- UPDATED 9.30PM: Added Khairy’s denial.
SUHAKAM INQUIRY | Former youth and sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin has denied reaching out to the missing persons Joshua Hilmy (above) and Ruth Hilmy with a warning to urge them to leave the country.
This came after the fifth witness at a Suhakam inquiry on the duo’s disappearance made the claim against the Rembau MP.
“I deny this accusation. I never personally knew Joshua Hilmy, Ruth Hilmy, nor (the witness) Selvakumar Peace John Harris.
“I also deny having sent the alleged email, nor have I contacted them through any means of communication.
“The statement made by Selvakumar is absolutely untrue,” he said in a statement today.
Selvakumar was the owner of the home in Kampung Tunku, Selangor where Joshua and Ruth resided.
The witness said he was shown the email in Penang when Joshua visited him in there in May 2016.
"He (Khairy) sent an email to Joshua and urged him to leave the country. (Joshua) called me and told me about it.
"I believe this is linked to Joshua having baptised a Malay couple on January 2015," said Selvakumar.
Selvakumar claimed that there were several emails exchanged between Joshua and Khairy (below).
At one point, Suhakam commissioner Hishamuddin Yunus requested that Selvakumar confirm if he was referring to former youth and sports minister, the witness replied in the affirmative.
Selvakumar also testified that he had witnessed Joshua baptising a Malay couple known as Mirza and Alim. The witness also claimed that Joshua had done the same for 10 other Malay couples.
This was met with disbelief from the Suhakam panel. Hishamuddin grilled the witness on whether those who were baptised were Muslims, to which Selvakumar replied in the affirmative.
To a question on how Joshua responded after receiving the emails from Khairy, Selvakumar said that Joshua wanted to flee.
The witness said Joshua did not use the word "threatened" but instead said that he did not feel safe.
Selvakumar will continue his testimony tomorrow.
Ruth was born in Indonesia and arrived in Malaysia in 2000 where she worked as a tailor and later married Joshua, originally from Taiping, Perak.
Joshua is believed to be a Malay-Muslim who later converted to Christianity and became a pastor.
They were last seen on Nov 30, 2016 and only reported missing on March 6, 2017.
