KUALA LUMPUR:  V K Thirunama said yesterday he was “110 per cent sure” that he was not mad when he gave a statement to Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) in 1998 relating corrupt practices of his eldest brother Datuk V K Lingam, several judges and a former Inspector-General of Police.

He confirmed his mental state when questioned by a member of the Royal Commission of Inquiry, Datuk Mahadev Shankar, a former Appeallate Court Judge on whether he was mad during investigation by the ACA.

“No sir, I am 110 per cent sure that I was not mad at that time. That is not true. That is a serious allegation,” said Thirunama, who refuted Lingam’s claim that he was mentally unstable.

Testifying on the 13th day of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam video clip, Thirunama, 50, the 18th witness, also dismissed Lingam’s claim that his motive was to make allegations of corrupt practices in order to threaten and demand money from Lingam.

“I did not ask him any money. That is not true,” Thirunama replied to Mahadev’s question.

The inquiry, among others, is to ascertain the authenticity of a video clip showing a man on telephone conversation, allegedly brokering judicial appointments.

The inquiry ended yesterday.

To a question by his counsel Wee Choo Keong, Thirunama reiterated that he was neither suffering from mental disorder nor delusion nor had he undergone psychiatric observation.

Earlier Mahadev referred to Lingam’s evidence to the commission that Thirunama made a statement to ACA because he (Lingam) refused to give money to Thirunama.

Mahadev pointed out that Lingam also told the commission that counsel M Manoharan, who acted for Thirunama, had called Lingam and demanded some money, an assertion which Thirunama denied.

“It was not true. When Manoharan called my brother, I was at Manoharan’s office.

Manoharan told me that my brother had told him many times that I was mentally unstable,” said Thirunama.

When asked by commission chairman Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor if there were evidence to show that Thirunama was not mentally unstable, Wee said he had a letter from University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) stating that the UMMC had never issued a medical report which said that Thirunama had been referred to the hospital for mental observation, as revealed by Lingam.

“In fact UMMC had lodged a police report on the statement that the UMMC had issued a medical report on Thirunama’s mental state,” said Wee.

Thirunama also said he had advised Lingam not to have close relations with judges as such a matter was dangerous.

“I told my brother ‘Ane’, I always called him Ane, meaning big brother. I don’t called him Datuk. I said Ane, please be careful, please don’t get close to Eusoff, you’d be caught one day,” Thirunama said.

To another question by Wee about a holiday photograph showing Lingam and former chief justice Tun Eusoff Chin, Thirunama said Lingam had shown him the photograph at Lingam’s house in Kelana Jaya in early 1995.

Thirunama said his brother had wanted to frame the picture but “I advised him not to do so” because it was a dangerous thing to do.

“(I said to him) Ane, please don’t be stupid. If you frame that photograph, people will know that you are close to Eusoff… you will be in trouble,” said Thirunama adding that until now Lingam had not framed the picture.

Wee then asked the inquiry to recall Eusoff so that Thirunama could identify him.

When Eusoff showed up for identification at 12.24pm, Thirunama told the inquiry, “Yes, this is the gentleman I’ve seen in 1995 and 1996. His name is Tun Eusoff Chin”.

To another question by Wee whether the ACA officers had in 1998 asked for Eusoff’s telephone number from him, Thirunama said they did not but he had given them his black diary containing Eusoff’s mobile phone number.

At this juncture, Haidar advised Wee to limit himself to relevant questions and not to go beyond the commission’s terms of reference.

Questioned further by Wee on whether he had disclosed his ACA statement to anybody, Thirunama said he disclosed it to ACA lawyer Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdulah at his house in Jalan Duta, and to the then Bar Council Secretary Tommy Thomas at the Bar Council.

Commissioner Tan Sri Steve Shim Lip Kiong then interjected, saying that it was not necessary to mention names.

Shim  again advised Wee to confine his questions only to relevant matters.

— Bernama