Seventh accused says has nothing to do with Morais’ disappearance

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KUALA LUMPUR: The seventh accused in the murder of Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais yesterday insisted that he had nothing to do with the victim’s disappearance.

S Ravi Chandaran, 47, however, admitted to the High Court that he was responsible for removing the chassis number and engine number of the victim’s car on the day the victim was reported missing and that he was also responsible for not telling what he knew to the police.

“I am not saying that I had nothing to do with the case, it’s just that I had nothing to do with Kevin Morais’ disappearance.

“Yes, I was responsible for cannabilising (removing the chassis and engine numbers) his car, but I did not set it on fire. I just stood there and watched. I am responsible for not saying anything about it,” he said during the examination-in-chief by lawyer V Rajehgopal in the 20th day of the defence proceedings here yesterday.

In reply to Rajehgopal’s question on when was the last time he saw Kevin Morais, Ravi Chandaran said it was on Sept 4, 2015 when the 4WD vehicle driven by his nephew S Nimalan, who is the sixth accused, crashed into the victim’s Proton Perdana V6 at Jalan Dutamas, not far from the victim’s condominium.

The sixth prosecution witness said he never saw Kevin Morais again after the accident and had only learned about the victim from the news on television.

When asked whether he had helped in the disposal of Kevin Morais’ body or had seen the body after the accident on Sept 4, Ravi Chandaran said: “Questions asked by the lawyer have nothing to do with me.”

R Dinishwaran, A K Thinesh Kumar, M Vishwanath, Nimalan, Ravi, and army doctor Colonel Dr  R Kunaseegaran, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Kevin Morais during the journey from Jalan Dutamas 1, Sentul to No.1 Jalan USJ 1/6D, Subang Jaya, between 7am and 8pm on Sept 4, 2015.

They are charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code and read together with Section 34 of the same code, which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

Dinishwaran, 26, Thinesh Kumar, 25, Vishwanath; 28, Nimalan, 25, and Ravi Chandaran, are represented by Rajehgopal, while Dr Kunaseegaran, 55, is represented by lawyer Datuk N Sivananthan.

The prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutor Saiful Edris Zainuddin.

The trial before Judge Datuk Azman Abdullah continues on Aug 27. — Bernama