Police do not dismiss the possibility that missing private investigator P. Balasubramaniam who recently made two statutory declarations relating to the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case, is now overseas.

Federal Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Mohd Bakri Zinin said Bukit Aman had contacted Interpol, besides monitoring Malaysia’s entry and exit points to trace Balasubramaniam.

“We are still searching for him and want to take a statement from him on the statutory declarations he made recently,” he said after attending the ceremony for the handing-over of duties of the Pahang police chief here today.

Pahang deputy police chief Datuk Robiah Abdul Ghani is now Acting Chief Police Officer after Datuk Ayob Mohamed goes on leave before retiring on Sept 8.

Balasubramaniam, a former Special Branch detective, had on July 1 signed a statutory declaration (SD) linking Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak with the murdered Mongolian interpreter, and which was made public at a press conference held at the Parti Keadilan Rakyat headquarters last Thursday.
He, however, retracted the SD in another sworn statement the next day.

Mohd Bakri said at the moment police were getting statements from individuals who last met Balasubramaniam.

He said police had no intention of putting unnecessary pressure on Balasubramaniam but only to expedite the investigations.

“And we assure him that we will give him safety protection, just like we have done for Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, the former aide of the PKR advisor.

“If he is scared, he can come with his lawyer, and if he asks for safety guarantee, we will fully cooperate with him by giving him security protection,” he said.

On the claim by Balasubramaniam’s nephew R. Sega that someone might be hiding him, Mohd Bakri declined to comment other than saying that police would not act on assumptions.

On investigations into the sodomy allegation involving Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, he said police had recorded statements from 18 witnesses, including the doctors who had examined Mohd Saiful, and more individuals were expected to be called to have their statements taken.

Asked whether police would call Anwar for the same purpose, Mohd Bakri said: “We have to first record the statements from witnesses....we’ll see, we’ll study and then we will do the same (on Anwar).”

The CID chief is also asking other individuals involved to come forward with information without police having to go after them as provided for under Section 111 of the Penal Code.