We met early April at La Bordega in Bangsar. Bull suggested I should instead sign a Statutory Declaration, as that would be stronger. They can ignore my article but they can’t ignore a Statutory Declaration.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
From the 12th to the 22nd September 2008, I was detained at the Police Remand Centre (PRC) where most ISA detainees spend their first 60 days of detention. Suddenly, on the morning of the 22nd, I was told that my interrogation, which was held from the 17th to the 21st, is going to end and that they have to finalise their report that same day.
That was the first surprise.
I was supposed to sign my statement the following day -- on the 23rd. Instead, I was packed off to Kamunting the morning of the 23rd without being allowed to sign the statement cum confession.
That was the second surprise.
What was it that the higher-ups were so scared about that they wanted to keep my confession cum statement from those who were supposed to review it and decide whether I can be released or should be sent to Kamunting for further detention? I really don’t know because they never told me.
Anyway, here is part of my interrogation by the Special Branch -- what they asked and what I replied.
The last time you were detained for 54 days, is that correct?
Yes, it was from 11 April to 6 June 2001. I think it was about 54 days.
You were not sent to Kamunting right?
That’s correct.
That’s because you cooperated. So if this time you also cooperate then there is a good chance you will also not be sent to Kamunting. You might be allowed to go home like the last time.
(I just nod)
We find your Statutory Declaration very hard to believe.
Why do you say that?
Well, we don’t think what you said about Rosmah being at the murder scene is correct.
How do you know?
It is highly unlikely. Rosmah is very rich. She has plenty of money. Why would she want to take the risk of going there personally? She can pay someone to do the job. No need for her to go there herself.
Well, that’s what I was told, that she went there personally.
We don’t think so. It doesn’t make sense for her to go there herself.
Okay, if you say so, but I know what I was told.
Who told you?
Lt Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin. He is the number two in the Special Branch of the Military Intelligence.
Yes, we know who he is.
So, that means you can ask him yourself then since you know him.
But how do you know he was telling you the truth? He could be setting you up.
I admit I don't know Lt Kol Azmi that well. But he is always in Ku Li’s office. He is very close to Ku Li. And Anwar Ibrahim also knows him very well.
So you are not really that close to Lt Kol Azmi. That means you don’t know whether you can trust him. We feel he is setting you up as the fall guy.
Maybe if I had to just trust him then I wouldn't dare take that risk. I mean; I don’t know him well enough to trust him all the way. But the person who introduced us is a very old friend. I’ve known him for about 45 years, longer than I’ve known my wife. And I trust my friend. My friend gave me his personal assurance that the story is legit.
Who is that friend?
Nik Azmi Nik Daud. We call him Bull. He works for Ku Li. I also asked Din Merican to check with Anwar whether I can trust Lt Kol Azmi with my life. Those were the exact words I used.
What did Anwar say?
Anwar replied you should never trust anyone with your life. However, Lt Kol Azmi’s information is very reliable. I also asked John Pang, who also works for Ku Li, to check with Ku Li whether Lt Kol Azmi’s information is reliable. I told John what Lt Kol Azmi told us and asked him to inform Ku Li about it. John confirmed that Lt Kol Azmi told Ku Li the same thing and that the information is reliable.
So that is why you signed the Statutory Declaration?
No. Actually, initially, I wanted to just write an article, like usual. But Bull asked to meet first before I write anything. So we met early April at La Bordega in Bangsar. Bull suggested I should instead sign a Statutory Declaration, as that would be stronger. They can ignore my article but they can’t ignore a Statutory Declaration.
Then you signed it?
No. I still did not sign it yet. I was worried about the repercussions. We would be forcing the government to act and they might come down hard on me. As Bull said, they can ignore my article but they can’t ignore a Statutory Declaration. Bull called for a second meeting on the Sunday before I signed the Statutory Declaration. We met at the Selangor Club Dataran Merdeka for lunch.
And then?
I told Bull I was a bit worried about signing a Statutory Declaration because the government will surely arrest and charge me if I do. I felt an article would be safer. But Bull disagreed. He felt an article was not strong enough. Bull said if anything happens to me they would go to court to testify that what I had signed is the truth. Bull assured me they would not allow me to rot in jail. So, on the 18th June, I signed the Statutory Declaration.
Are you sure they will come forward to testify in your trial?
That’s what Bull told me and I trust him. As I said, I’ve known him for 45 years.
Okay, let’s see whether they do or not. But we think they will not. They will not come forward to testify at your trial.
Maybe. Maybe what you say is true. I don’t know. Let’s see. After all I have already been charged and my trial will soon start. Let’s see whether they keep their word and testify at my trial. But I am confident they will because they have given me their assurance.
We believe you have been set up as the fall guy. Maybe they want to get rid of you.
I don’t think so. Anyway, we will know soon enough once my trial starts. It is going to be a most interesting trial indeed once the truth surfaces. Don’t you think so?
Didn’t Najib’s people approach you to make a deal?
You mean to buy my silence? Yes, they did.
Who?
Datuk Jamaluddin Jarjis.
JJ?
Yes.
When?
It was not long after I was charged for sedition, before I signed the Statutory Declaration. JJ phoned and said he wanted to meet. I knew he was working for Najib so I agreed. We met at the car park outside Kelab Taman Perdana. My wife drove me there and waited at a distance. She was worried that it may be a trap and she wanted to be cautious in case they were setting me up, or something like that.
JJ arrived about 6pm and asked me to get into his car. He was alone. I waved to my wife and signalled her to go home and she wrote down JJ’s car number plate in case I disappeared or whatever.
We drove to a roadside stall in Jalan Ipoh and sat there and talked. JJ told me that Najib had asked him to meet me to make a deal. I asked him whether Najib really knows we are meeting and whether he had endorsed or sanctioned the meeting and JJ replied that our meeting was on Najib’s instructions.
We spent about an hour talking. The bottom line is he wanted me to stop writing about Najib and Altantuya. He also asked me whether I could delay my sedition trial until Najib becomes the Prime Minister. Once Najib is installed as Prime Minister they will drop the charges against me. I will also receive a monthly allowance of RM30,000 for my cooperation. He didn’t say for how long though.
I asked him how to delay the trial and he replied I can always get a medical certificate to confirm I am not fit enough to attend trial. I told him if I delayed the trial then the legal costs would increase and he offered to pay all the legal fees. He asked me to get my lawyers to issue an invoice and he would pay the cost, whatever it may be.
I told my lawyers about this incident so that at least some other people know about it.
So, what happened to the deal?
Soon after that I signed my Statutory Declaration. That was my way of saying no deal. After that they arrested me and charged me for criminal defamation. I suppose that was their way of replying to my reply.
Wouldn’t it have been better for you to accept the deal? After all, Najib is soon going to be the Prime Minister.
Maybe. But it’s too late now isn’t it? I have already burned my bridges behind me.
The above is a small portion of my questions and answers session with the Special Branch over the five days of interrogation. This, plus a lot more, was compiled into a report, which I was supposed to sign on the morning of 23 September 2008 -- but which never materialised for some strange reason. I am probably the first ISA detainee in almost 50 years who made a statement (confession) but was never asked to sign it.
Pendedahan Raja Petra. Rosmah terlibat dalam kes Altantuya.
Saya sepatutnya menandatangani kenyataan saya hari berikutnya…pada 23hb. Sebaliknya, saya di hantar ke Kamunting pada pagi 23hb tanpa dibenarkan menandatangani kenyataan dan pengakuan saya. Itu kejutan kedua. Apa yang ditakutkan oleh pihak atasan sehingga kenyataan dan pengakuan saya mahu disorok daripada pihak yang akan meneliti dan memutuskan sama ada saya boleh dibebaskan atau dihantar ke Kamunting untuk tahanan selanjutnya? Saya tidak tahu kerana mereka tidak pernah memberitahu saya. Apapun…berikut adalah sebahagian daripada soalsiasat yang dilakukan oleh Cawangan Khas terhadap saya – apa yang ditanya…dan apa jawaban saya. Kali terakhir awak ditahan selama 54 hari, benar? Ya. Dari 11 April hingga 6 Jun 2001. Saya rasa lebih kurang 54 hari. Awak tidak dihantar ke Kamunting, benar? Benar. Itu kerana awak bekerjasama. Kalau awak bekerjasama kali ini, ada harapan awak tidak akan dihantar ke Kamunting. Awak mungkin akan dibenarkan pulang kerumah seperti dahulu. (Saya hanya mengangguk) Kami mendapati, Akuan Bersumpah awak sukar untuk dipercayaai. Mengapa awak cakap macam tu? Kami tak fikir…apa yang awak cakap tentang Rosmah berada ditempat pembunuhan itu betul. Macam mana awak tahu? Saya diberitahu bahawa dia sendiri pergi kesana. Kami tak fikir begitu. Tak masuk akal untuk dia pergi kesana. Sapa yang memberitahu awak? Lt. Kol. Azmi Zainal Abidin. Dia merupakan orang nombor dua dalam Cawangan Khas dalam Risik Angkatan Tentera. Ya..kami tahu siapa dia. Jadi..oleh kerana awak kenal dia…awak boleh tanya dia. Tapi..macam mana awak tahu dia bercakap benar? Mungkin dia mahu memerangkap awak. Saya akui saya tidak begitu mengenali Lt. Kol Azmi. Tapi dia selalu berada di pejabat Tengku Razaleigh. Dia rapat dengan Ku Li dan Anwar Ibrahim juga mengenali dia. Jadi…awak tidak begitu rapat dengan Lt. Kol. Azmi. Ini bermakna, awak tidak tahu sama ada dia boleh dipercaya atau tidak. Kami rasa, dia memerangkap awak kerana dia sudah terpinggir. Siapa kawan awak itu? Nik Azmi Nik Daud. Kami memanggilnya Bull. Dia bekerja untuk Tengku Razaleigh. Saya juga bertanya kepada Din Merican untuk bertanya Anwar sama ada saya boleh mempercayaai Lt. Kol Azmi sepenuhnya. Itulah perkataan yang saya gunakan. Apa Anwar kata? Anwar berkata..jangan percaya sepenuhnya kepada sesiapa. Walaubagaimanapun,maklumat Lt. Kol. Azmi sangat tepat. Saya juga bertanya John Pang, yang juga bekerja dengan Ku Li, supaya bertanya kepada Ku Li sama ada maklumat ini boleh dipercayaai. Saya memberitahu John apa yang diberitahu oleh Lt. Kol Azmi dan memintanya memberitahu Ku Li. John mengesahkan bahawa Lt. Kol Azmi memberitahu Ku Li perkara yang sama dan maklumat tersebut memang boleh dipercayaai. Habis..mengapa awak menandatangani Akuan Bersumpah itu? Tidak..sebenarnya..diawalnya, saya hanya mahu menulis satu artikel, seperti biasa. Tetapi Bull meminta saya menemuinya dahulu sebelum saya menulis apa-apa. Jadi, kami berjumpa diawal April di La Bordega, Bangsar. Bull mencadangkan supaya saya menandatangani Akuan Bersumpah..kerana ia lebih berkesan. Mereka boleh mengabaikan artikel saya, tapi mereka tidak boleh mengabaikan Akuan Bersumpah. Kemudian…awak tandatangan? Tidak..saya masih tidak menandatanganinya lagi. Saya risau tentang kesannya. Kami mungkin akan memaksa kerajaan bertindak dan mereka mungkin akan bertindak lebih keras terhadap saya. Seperti yang dikatakan oleh Bull, mereka boleh mengabaikan artikel saya, tapi mereka tidak boleh mengabaikan Akuan Bersumpah saya. Bull meminta perjumpaan kali kedua pada hari Ahad sebelum saya menandatangani Akuan Bersumpah. Kami berjumpa di dataran Merdeka, Selangor Club untuk makan tengahari. Lepas tu? Saya beritahu Bull, saya sedikit risau tentang menandatangani Akuan Bersumpah sebab kerajaan sudah pasti menangkap dan mendakwa saya kalau saya buat. Saya rasa, lebih selamat kalau menulis artikel. Tetapi Bull tidak bersetuju. Dia merasakan artikel tidak cukup berkesan. Bull mengatakan, kalau apa-apa terjadi kepada saya, mereka tidak akan membiarkan saya mati dipenjara. Jadi, pada 18 Jun, saya menandatangani Akuan Bersumpah tersebut. Awak pasti mereka akan datang kemahkamah untuk memberi pengakuan? Itu yang diberitahu oleh Bull kepada saya dan saya mempercayaainya. Seperti yang saya katakan, saya mengenalinya selama 45 tahun. OK…kita tengok sama ada mereka akan datang atau tidak. Tapi kami rasa mereka tidak akan dating. Mereka tidak akan datang untuk membuat pengakuan masa perbicaraan nanti. Boleh jadi. Mungkin apa yang awak katakana itu benar. Saya tidak tahu. Kita tengok nanti. Lagipun saya sudah didakwa dan perbicaraan akan bermula tak lama lagi. Kita tengok sama ada mereka akan mengotakan janji mereka dan membuat pengakuan semasa perbicaraan. Tapi saya yakin, mereka akan datang kerana mereka telaha berjanji dengan saya. Kami percaya..awak telah diperangkap. Mungkin mereka mahu menyingkir awak. Saya tak fikir begitu. Apa pun, kita akan tahu apabila perbicaraan saya bermula. Ia akan menjadi perbicaraan yang menarik kerana apabila kebenaran terserlah. Awak tak fikir begitu? Pernahkah orang-orang Najib datang membuat tawaran? Maksud awak…untuk mendiamkan saya? Ya..ada. Siapa? Datuk Jamaludin Jarjis. JJ? Ya. Bila? Tak lama selepas saya didakwa kerana menghasut, sebelum saya menandatangani Akuan Bersumpah. JJ menelefon saya dan memberitahu dia mahu berjumpa saya. Saya tahu dia bekerja untuk Najib…jadi saya bersetuju. Kami berjumpa ditempat letak kereta di Kelab Taman Perdana. Isteri saya menghantar saya kesana dan menunggu tidak jauh dari situ. Dia risau ianya mungkin satu perangkap dan dia mahu berwaspada…sekiranya mereka mahu memerangkap saya. JJ sampai sekitar 6 petang dan meminta saya masuk kekeretanya. Dia bersaorangan. Saya melambai kepada isteri saya dan memberi isyarat untuk pulang kerumah dan dia mencatit nombor plet kereta JJ..seandainya saya hilang atau diapa-apakan. Dia memandu kesebuah gerai di Jalan Ipoh dan kami duduk disana dan bersembang. JJ memberitahu saya bahawa Najib memintanya menemui saya dan membuat satu tawaran. Saya bertanya sama ada Najib tahu tentang pertemuan kami dan sama ada dia merestui perjumpaan itu…dan JJ menjawab bahawa pertemuan itu adalah arahan Najib. Kami berbual selama satu jam. Pada asasnya..dia mahu saya berhenti menulis tentang Najib dan Altantuya. Dia juga bertanya sama ada saya boleh menangguhkan perbicaraan saya sehingga Najib menjadi Perdana Menteri. Apabila Najib ditabalkan sebagai Perdana Menteri, mereka akan menarik balik dakwaan yang dikenakan terhadap saya. Saya juga akan menerima elaun bulanan sebanyak RM30,000.00 kerana bekerjasama.Walaubagaimanapun, Dia tidak memberitahu untuk berapa lama. Saya bertanya..bagaimana untuk melengahkan perbicaraan tersebut dan dia menjawab bahawa saya boleh mendapatkan surat doctor untuk mengesahkan saya tidak sihat untuk dating kemahkamah. Saya memberitahunya, sekiranya perbicaraan itu dilewatkan, kos guaman akan meningkat dan dia menawarkan untuk membayar semua kos guaman. Dia meminta peguam-peguam saya menghantar invois dan dia akan membayar semua kos..tidak kira berapa banyak. Saya memberitahu peguam-peguam saya…sekurang-kurangnya ada orang lain mengetahui perkara ini. Jadi, apa yang berlaku kepada tawaran tersebut? Bukankah lebih baik kalau awak menerima tawaran tersebut. Lagi pun, Najib akan menjadi Perdana Menteri tak lama lagi.
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Dari 12 hingga 22 September 2008, saya ditahan di Pusat Tahanan Polis dimana kebanyakan tahanan ISA menghabiskan masa tahanan selama 60 hari. Tiba-tiba, pada pagi 22 September, saya diberitahu bahawa siasatan terhadap saya, yang dilakukan pada 17 hingga 21hb, akan berakhir dan mereka akan menyiapkan laporan mereka pada hari yang sama.
Itu merupakan kejutan pertama.
Tak mungkin. Rosah sudah kaya. Dia ada banyak duit. Mengapa dia perlu mengambil risiko untuk berada disana? Dia boleh bayar sesiapa saja untuk melakukan kerja tersebut. Tak perlu dia pergi kesana.
Okay…kalau awak cakap macam tu, tapi saya tahu apa yang diberitahu.
Mungkin kalau saya hanya percaya kepadanya, saya tidak akan berani mengambil risiko. Maksud saya; saya tidak boleh mempercayaai sepenuhnya kerana saya tidak begitu mengenalinya. Tapi, orang yang memperkenalkan dia kepada saya adalah rakan lama saya. Saya mengenalinya kira-kira 45 tahun, lebih lama dari saya mengenali isteri saya. Dan saya percaya kepada rakan saya. Dia memberikan jaminan bahawa cerita itu sah.
Tak lama selepas itu, saya menandatangani Akuan Bersumpah saya. Itu tandanya saya menolak tawaran tersebut. Selepas itu, mereka menahan saya dan mendakwa saya kerana memfitnah. Saya rasa, itu adalah cara mereka menjawab jawapan saya.
Mungkin. Tapi bukankah sekarang sudah terlambat? Saya sudah pun membuat keputusan.
Semua yang diatas adalah sebahagian daripada sessi soaljawab saya dengan Cawangan Khas selama lima hari saya disoalsiasat. Semuanya telah disusun menjadi satu laporan dimana saya sepatutnya menandatanganinya pada 23 September 2008..tetapi tidak berlaku diatas sebab-sebab yang menghairankan. Saya mungkin tahanan ISA yang pertama didalam 50 tahun yang membuat pengakuan tetapi tidak diminta menandatanganinya.
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