M’sian sex video scandal: Who is Datuk T?

(The Star/ANN) – The mysterious Datuk T has become a top talking point as the controversy over the sex video involving a man who resembles Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim rages on.

The Opposition Leader has denied he is the man in the 22-minute video and claimed that it was doctored. He blamed it on the Barisan Nasional government.

A day after the video emerged, political sources speculated that it was “an inside job”.

In his press release, whistle-blower Datuk T had said that after the politician had left the hotel, “he (the politician) realised he had left behind his Omega watch in a room that he had occupied earlier.”

Datuk T, a Malay man in his 50s, said he was “asked to search for the watch in the room”, when he stumbled upon some electrical wiring as well as a video recorder containing the footage of the politician having sex with a woman.

However, it is not clear what prompted Datuk T to go public with the video. The popular theory is that he once belonged to the videoed politician’s inner circle.

“He is obviously someone very trusted by the politician to carry out such a personal task (search for the watch),” one analyst said.

The bespectacled Datuk T signed off the press release as “The Insider”, which gives further hint that he was, at some point, someone who knew of the politician’s movements, habits and activities.

Political sources believe Datuk T could have fallen out with the politician, causing the former to turn against him.

In the press release, Datuk T said he would make available a copy of the video to the politician and his wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is also the president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). The whistle-blower has demanded that the duo quit politics within seven days, failing which he would call on several NGOs to set up an independent panel to investigate.

Media representatives were allowed to take turns individually to watch the video.

They included those from The Star, New Straits Times, Utusan Malaysia, Malaysiakini, Malaysian Insider, China Press, Oriental Daily, Kwong Wah Daily, Bernama and Harakah, the mouthpiece of Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS).

Datuk T, who spoke impeccable English, pointed out the date and time on the footage to the newsmen who watched it closely to ascertain the identity of the man in the video.

The soft-spoken mystery man had four bodyguards with him. Two wore dark glasses. They used metal scanners to check reporters, who were then asked to wear robes over their attire before being allowed into the room.

The media has been unable to trace the identity of Datuk T or whether the person who spoke to them was in fact Datuk T.

Analysts said that, logically, the man in the video would know the identity of Datuk T if it was indeed true that Datuk T had been asked by him to collect the watch left behind in the hotel after having sex with the foreign prostitute.

Datuk T also showed a gold Omega watch to the journalists. The watch was carefully wrapped and he made sure that he left no fingerprints on it, telling reporters that “his (the politician’s) wife would be able to recognise it.”

When asked by reporters on Monday, Anwar said at a press conference that his Omega watch was with his wife.