THE six men accused of murdering deputy public prosecutor Anthony Kevin Morais are to enter their defence, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered today.

The prosecution was able to prove a prima facie case against the first accused, army pathologist Colonel Dr R. Kunaseegaran, 54, as well as five others charged.

The five are R. Dinishwaran, 25; A.K. Thinesh Kumar, 24; M. Vishwanath, 27; S. Nimalan, 24; and, S. Ravi Chandaran, 46.

All of them had pleaded not guilty to the murder, which took place between Jalan Dutamas Raya Sentul and No.1, Jalan USJ1/6D, Subang Jaya, between 7am and 8pm, on September 4, 2015.

Judge Azman Abdullah ordered the accused to enter their defence following the completion of testimonies given by 70 prosecution witnesses.

During the hearing, the court was told that Morais had been the DPP who prosecuted Dr Kunaseegaran in a corruption case.

The court will hear the defence on January 18, 19, 21 and 26, and February 22 and 23.

Dr Kunaseegaran was represented by counsel N. Sivanathan and Jay Moy Wei Jiun; Dinishwaran and Thinesh Kumar were represented by M. Manoharan and Chua Li Li; and Vishwanath, Nimalan and Ravi Chandaran were represented by V. Rajehgopal and Shiva Kumar.

The investigating officer, in his testimony during the trial in September, told the court that he had a strong basis to link Dr Kunaseegaran with the murder of Morais two years ago.

Assistant Superintendent Wan Abdullah Wan Said said the victim had prosecuted against the accused in multiple graft cases at the Shah Alam Sessions Court.

“The accused was afraid that he would have to fork out huge amounts of money for all the cases.”

Morais’ body was found in a concrete-filled drum in Subang Jaya on September 16, 12 days after he was reported missing by a family member.

Police confirmed his identity, following a DNA test, three days later.

Morais was last seen alive on September 4, when he was leaving his condominium in Menara Duta, Kuala Lumpur, to go to work in Putrajaya.

He was driving a Proton Perdana bearing the number plate WA6264Q.

The case was first classified as abduction, but it was reclassified as murder after his body was found.

Seven men were detained to facilitate investigations into the murder.

They were charged in court on September 28, 2015.

G. Gunasekaran, 49, who was initially charged with murder, was sentenced to two years’ jail on December 20 last year after he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of concealing the victim’s body and disposing of the victim’s car, with the intention of protecting the accused.

He committed the offence between Jalan Dutamas 1, Sentul, and an oil palm plantation in Kampung Sungai Samak, Hutan Melintang, Hilir Perak, between 7am on September 4, 2015, and 2am the next day.

He then became one of the prosecution witnesses. – November 20, 2017.