KUALA LUMPUR: Private investigator P. Balasubramaniam will not be let off so easily, after making bombshell claims on Thursday and then withdrawing them less than 24 hours later.

Police have now got into the act and are investigating both his statutory declarations. They want to know if there are hidden agendas behind both sworn statements.

In his first SD filed on July 1, the former policeman linked Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to the murdered Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.

In a complete turnaround, Balasubramaniam filed another SD yesterday, retracting the earlier document.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said both the statutory declarations would be probed despite the earlier declaration dated July 1 being retracted by Balasubramaniam.
"Notwithstanding the retraction, the earlier SD will also be probed as there might be intentions to create a diversion," Ismail said without elaborating.

Najib charged on Thursday that the first declaration, which was disclosed in a press conference by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was aimed at distracting attention from Anwar's sodomy allegations.

Lawyers told the New Straits Times that Balasubramaniam had committed an offence. Two conflicting SDs cannot be right. One of it must be false, was the consensus legal opinion.

Balasubramaniam, meanwhile, has gone missing. Attempts to reach him on his mobile phone and at his home were futile.

Yesterday at 11am at the Prince Hotel here, Balasubramaniam, accompanied by Arulampalam Mariampillai, a different lawyer from a day earlier, called a press conference to retract the entire contents of his first declaration.

Arulampalam said his client's earlier SD was made under duress and that he had been upset with the government.

Balasubramaniam's retraction read:

- At no material time did Abdul Razak Baginda inform me that he was introduced to Altantuya by a VIP.

- At no material time did Razak inform me that Najib had a sexual relationship with Altantuya.

- At no material time did Razak inform me that Najib instructed Razak to look after Altantuya as he did not want her to harass him since he was the deputy prime minister.

- At no material time did Razak and/or Altantuya inform me that Najib together with Razak and Altantuya had met and all had been together at a dinner in Paris.

- At no material time did Altantuya inform me that she wanted money in the sum of US$500,000 as commission for a submarine deal she assisted with in Paris.

- At no time whatsoever did Razak and/or Altantuya inform me that Najib met Altantuya in Singapore.

- At no time whatsoever did Altantuya inform me that she wanted to arrange to see Najib.

- At no time did I tell the police during the course of their investigations about any relationship between Najib and Altantuya as no such relationship existed to my knowledge. Accordingly the statement I signed before the police is complete.

- At no time did Razak inform me that he had sent Najib an SMS the evening before he was arrested; and

- At no time did Razak inform me that Najib had sent him an SMS on the day of his arrest to the effect that he was going to see the Inspector-General of Police that day and that the matter should be resolved and for Razak to remain calm.

Balasubramaniam declined to answer any questions at the press conference.

Following the explosive SD on Thursday, Najib had reiterated that he never knew the Mongolian woman and referred to the claim linking him with Altantuya as "a terrible lie".

Najib also described the latest attempt to link him to the crime as a "malicious, slanderous fabrication aimed at tarnishing my image".