Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar has defended the move by police to call the lawyer Americk Sidhu for questioning.

Khalid said Americk is being questioned because he helped businessperson Charles Suresh Morais to prepare his statutory declaration (SD).

“Yes (Charles signed the declaration), but as I said before, because of the seriousness of the SD's contents, we want to hear from the lawyer who helped prepare it. This is serious.

“As for Charles, we don't know when... We have already called for him but he has run away, and we don't know when we are going to make contact with him and get him to assist (investigations),” he told a press conference in Bukit Aman today.

He was asked to respond to the statement by Americk ( photo ) today that it is Charles who should be questioned and not him, for it was Charles who affirmed the contents of the SD.

Khalid said the police want to know what had transpired between Americk and Charles, before the latter fled the country.

No plan to send police officers to US

To another question on whether the police would be sending officers to interview Charles in the United States, where he resides, Khalid said there was no such plan at the moment.

“We will see first, after we have called in his lawyer,” he said.

The case is being investigated under Section 202 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) for withholding information pertaining to a crime, and Section 124L of the Penal Code for attempting to commit sabotage.

The move to question Americk drew condemnation from Bar Council member Syahredzan Johan, who issue a reminder that lawyers should not be identified with their client's causes.

Charles had signed the SD on Nov 26, alleging high-level conspiracy in his brother Kevin Anthony Morais' death in September.

After holding a press conference in Kuala Lumpur about his claims on the same day, Charles left the country through the Johor Causeway.

Charles has been living in the US since 1984, where he runs a hotel business.

On another matter, Khalid said the police would be recording the statement from Batu MP Tian Chua Tian in a day or two.

This is on Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar's meeting with Sulu princess Jacel Kiram, which is being investigated under Section 124L of the Penal Code. Nurul Izzah has already been questioned on the matter, on Nov 27.

“After that we will finish up on our investigation and forward it to the attorney-general,” Khalid added.

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