Photo of Vell Paari found in bedroom

(The Star) – A torn wedding photograph showing Maika Holdings chief executive officer S. Vell Paari and his wife was among items produced as exhibit on the second day of an inquest into the death of actress K. Sujatha.

The photograph, that was held together with cellophane tape, was found by the bedside of the actress in her apartment, the inquest heard.

However, Vell Paari said he did not know how the torn photograph had ended up by her bedside.

Vell Paari, the son of MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, also admitted to servicing part of a loan for Sujatha’s condominium, being a guarantor for her loan to buy a Mazda RX8 sportscar and funding her studies at the diploma and master’s level.

Asked by deputy public prosecutor Geethan Ram Vincent whether he knew the price of the Jalan Ipoh condominium which Sujatha had initially been renting, Vell Paari said that it cost RM420,000.

The court was told that Sujatha had taken a RM200,000 loan from a bank to buy the property and that Vell Paari had come up with the other RM220,000.

Asked whether it was a norm for Vell Paari to help his employees this way, the latter said “yes”, adding that he had helped a few of his employees by servicing their loans.

He added that he helped his employees “all the time”. To this, DPP Geethan said everyone would want to be Vell Paari’s employee given his generosity, leading to laughter in the court.

Vell Paari replied that he treated his employees equally.

To a question by DPP Geethan, he explained that Sujatha had asked for the wedding photograph when she saw it in his office.

“When I gave it to her, it was still intact and not torn,” said Vell Paari.

Another item produced in court was a newspaper cutting with a photo of Vell Paari and his wife also found in Sujatha’s condominium. When asked, Vell Paari said he did not give the item to Sujatha.

To another question, Vell Parri said he did not request that a post-mortem not be conducted on Sujatha. He added that he did not know who had made that request and that he only learnt that no post-mortem was done from someone at the hospital.

Earlier, in the same court, coroner Mohd Faizi Che Abu turned down Kapar MP S. Manikavasa-gam’s application through his counsel N. Surendran to participate in the inquest.

Mohd Faizi said Manikavasagam had insufficient facts to prove he has substantial interest in the inquest.

The inquest continues today.