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“I will sue Datuk VK Lingam,” he told reporters this morning outside the Anti-Corruption Agency headquarters in Putrajaya.
“I’m a normal person. What my brother said about me in today’s news is not true. That’s why I’m going to sue him - for defaming me,” said the soft-spoken man.
“I don’t have any history (of mental illness), I have not been warded in any hospital. You can check my records, my childhood, my teenage years - there’s no record. Ask him to produce the record,” Thirunama decried.
Yesterday, Lingam described Thirunama, who had leveled numerous accusations of judicial corruption against him, as being delusional.
Lingam said Thirunama suffered from “hallucinations, strong suicidal tendencies, delusions and major depression”.
In view of this, he argued that Thirunama’s alleged mental condition rendered his allegations baseless.
While conceding that he did see a “senior doctor” in 1998, Thirunama said this was because he was forced to do so by his elder brother.
According to Thirunama, he had nevertheless confided in the doctor that he was told by Lingam to put on an act of being mentally unsound and to get himself admited into Universiti Hospital.
“He (the doctor) is also a witness (to the coercion), whom I will identify later,” said Thirunama.
He’s not ‘Lingam tape’ whistleblower
On Sunday, Thirunama had leveled fresh accusations that his brother had a cosy relationship several high-ranking judges, and alluded that Lingam was involved in judicial corruption.
A t Putrajaya today, he denied that he held any “grudges” against his brother or that the souring of their relationship was the reason behind his current actions.
Thirunama also said that he was willing to testify before the royal commission to be formed by the government to look into the 'Lingam tape'. When asked why he waited until now to go public on his allegations, Thirunama said he had been fearful for many years.
“Because it has been exposed in the press already - the video clip and all that - I’m not frightened now,” he said.
He denied, however, that he was the person - or the he knew the whistleblower - who had recorded Lingam’s telephone conversation with then chief judge of Malaya Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim on the appointment of ‘friendly’ judges to the upper courts.
Ahmad Fairuz later went on to become the chief justice until his retirement last month.
"I'm not behind the videotape," he insisted.
Thirunama said he had approached other politicians with claims of his brother’s alleged corrupt practices, but was turned away because he was unable to furnish evidence of his allegations.
Seven-hour marathon session
Thirunama was at the ACA today to give his statement after being summoned by the agency yesterday.
He went to meet ACA officials at 11.30am and emerged from the agency’s headquarters seven hours later. Both he and his lawyer, Wee Choo Keong, appeared tired from the marathon session.
When asked to reveal what had transpired inside, Thirunama said he told the ACA officials "all that he knew".
“I told them the truth as contained in my police reports,” said the soft-spoken man.
“I want the judiciary to be clean - that was why I filed the police reports,” he added. He did not state if he had been asked to return to the ACA again for further questioning.
W ee, however blasted the agency for its protracted questioning of Thirunama on issues that he felt were of no direct relevance to the crucial questions at hand regarding corruption in the judiciary.
Wee - who is secretary-general of Malaysian Democratic Party - revealed that he was himself asked to give a statement to the ACA on the video clip as well as details on his link to Thirunama’s police report.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with the ACA. Today, we came (to answer questions about) Mr Karasu’s police report. Instead, they asked about the video clip, whether I’ve seen it, whether I’ve got copies of it... and is it with me now... when did I see him (Thirunama), and when I received the police report from him,” said Wee.
“This is most ridiculous.”
SPECIAL REPORT: The Lingam tape Watch the 6-minute video here
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