Four Contradictions Listed Against Special Action Squad Member

6 September 2007
Shah Alam

The prosecution team led by DPP Tun Abd Majid Tun Hamzah has applied to impeach DSP Yusri Hasan Basri for his contradictory evidence given between his testimony in court and his police statement.

Yusri was a Special Action Squad (UTK) operative and a colleague of accused Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar. He accompanied the Bukit Aman serious crimes division (D9) investigation team to obtain UTK items at Azhar's apartment on 7 November 2006.

As it was his first time testifying in court, Yusri explained that was nervous when giving his testimony. His police statement was taken by investigating officer ASP Tonny Lunggan on 2 and 3 August 2007, after the murder trial began in June. However, Yusri told the High Court judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin that he had forgotten the events at Azhar's apartment as it occurred nine months ago.

The prosecution pointed out four contradictions.

In his police statement, Yusri said he was not clear if Azhar was brought into his own room as Yusri was searching for UTK items at that time. In court, Yusri stated that Azhar was not brought into the room the entire time that Yusri was in there.

The second contradiction involved Yusri's statement in court that Azhar was not in the room while the D9 officers were searching the room, but in his police statement, he said that he was unsure if Azhar was there.

Yusri recorded in his police statement that he entered the apartment after the D9 officers, while in court he testified that he entered the apartment together with the investigating officers.

The last contradiction was between Yusri's police statement that the Bomb Disposal Unit had entered the apartment after him and his statement in court that he was not sure if the Unit had entered the apartment at all.

Zaki will announce his decision on the trial-within-a-trial at the end of the prosecution's case.

New Straits Times - Altantuya murder trial: Nervous witness defends himself
<URL:http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/National/20070906082103/Article/index_html>

MCW - Special Action Squad Member to be Impeached in Altantuya Trial
<URL:http://malaysiacrimewatch.lokety.com/2007/09/special-action-squad-member-to-be.html>

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