KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak has labeled a Bernama report in which one of the accused in the Anthony Kevin Morais murder trial claimed to have been offered RM3.5 million from the former prime minister to admit his guilt, as “mischievous.”
Malaysiakini, in a report, said Najib in a statement, said Bernama had used a sensational and tabloid-ish headline.
Najib was quoted as saying that those who are too lazy to read the article would “automatically believe it.”
"Those who are not easily trapped by just reading headlines will surely find something amiss after reading the full article.
"There are seven accused in the murder. Only one of those accused suddenly claimed I offered him RM3.5 million through an unnamed Prisons Department officer to admit guilt in the Morais murder," he was quoted as saying.
Earlier today, Bernama in its report said that the seventh accused in the murder of Morais, who was deputy public prosecutor, had told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that he was offered RM3.5 million by Najib to admit guilt.
The accused, S Ravi Chandaran, claimed the court that the offer was made through a prisons officer. He claimed that he also received an offer from Morais’s younger brother, Datuk Richard Morais, to do the same.
Ravi Chandaran, who is the defence’s sixth witness, said this when cross-examined by counsel Datuk N.Sivananthan who is representing military pathologist Colonel Dr R. Kunaseegaran, during the proceedings on the 24th day of the defence’s case.