Coroner issues arrest warrant on Kapar MP
(Bernama) – The Coroner’s Court today issued a warrant of arrest against Kapar MP S Manikavasagam after he continued to avoid a subpoena to testify in the inquest into actress K Sujatha’s death.
Coroner Mohd Faizi Che Abu said the court was satisfied with police efforts to serve the subpoena and it had no choice but to issue the warrant on the witness.
The warrant was issued after Deputy Public Prosecutor Geethan Ram Vincent called Chief Inspector Tay Chew Thwa to elaborate on police efforts to serve the subpoena.
Tay said that he received the order from the investigating officer at about 12.30pm today and when he contacted Manikavasagam on his handphone, the MP told him to meet him at the parliament lobby at 2.30pm.
When Tay arrived at the parliament building, he contacted Manikavasagam again but the MP told him that he was out for lunch and would not be back since he needed to attend a meeting in Kapar, he said.
“Manikavasagam also informed me via SMS that his lawyers are still overseas and requested to postpone the inquest since he was busy attending parliament proceedings,” Tay said.
Geethan said the police had previously attempted to serve the subpoena on Manikavasagam on June 17 and 18 but the politician gave the same reasons.
“Since there is enough evidence to show Manikavasagam was aware of the court proceedings and evasive about receiving the subpoena, it is the court’s discretion whether to issue the warrant of arrest,” he said.
Counsel Datuk K Kumaraendran representing Maika Holdings chief executive officer S Vell Paari also pressed for the warrant to be issued irrespective of whether it was against an MP.
He was addressing the court at the inquest into the death of Sujatha, 28, at Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang on June 25, 2007, six days after she was admitted after allegedly drinking the weed-killer paraquat.
Earlier, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital head of forensic department Prof Madya Dr Shahrom Abdul Wahid told the court that the medical officer at Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital did not follow the right procedure when releasing Sujatha’s body without a post-mortem.
The inquest continues on July 7.
