Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais (22 March 1960 – 16 September 2015) was a Deputy Public Prosecutor for the Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Life
editKevin Anthony Morais was born on 22 March 1960 in Kuala Lumpur. He is the eldest of four brothers.[1]
Murder
editMorais was last seen alive on 4 September 2015 leaving his Menara Duta condominium in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur for work at the Attorney-General's Chambers in Putrajaya. He drove a Proton Perdana with license plates WA6264Q. His youngest brother filed a missing person's report late next day. Earlier, a car matching the model he owned was found in a palm oil plantation in Perak. His body was found in a concrete filled drum at USJ 1, Subang Jaya, Selangor on 16 September 2015.
On 20 November 2017, six were accused of the murder of Morais after the courts found that the prosecution had proven a prima facie against them.[2] The six accused were former Army pathologist Colonel Dr R. Kunaseegaran, 55; R. Dinishwaran, 26; A.K Thinesh Kumar, 25; M. Vishwanath, 28; S. Nimalan 25; and S. Ravi Chandaran, 47.[3]
Initially, there were seven accused individuals in the trial; however, G. Gunasekaran was discharged and acquitted in 2016 after the prosecution had applied to withdraw the charge against him. The Sessions Court sentenced Gunasekaran to two years in jail effective from the date of his arrest on 15 September 2015, after he pleaded guilty to concealing Kevin Morais' body and disposing of the plate number of the deceased's car.[4] The prosecution set out to prove that the motive for the murder of Kevin Morais had been revenge as Morais had been the prosecuting officer in the corruption case against Kunaseegaran.[5]
On 10 July 2020, after a lengthy 4-year court case, the High Court handed the death sentence to all six accused and sentenced to death by hanging.[6]
On 15 March 2024, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeals of the six men, and upheld their convictions and sentences.[7]
1MDB investigation
editMorais had been seconded from the Justice Ministry to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, which was looking into financial irregularities involving the troubled 1Malaysia Development Bhd. state-backed investment fund and other issues.[8]
In 2015, reporter Clare Rewcastle Brown published anonymous emails to her blog, leaking the secret draft arrest warrant for Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak. This led to wide immediate backlash from the Razak to all parties involved. Morais was the drafter of the arrest warrant.[9] The 2023 Netflix documentary, Man on the Run, implies that due to this Razak and/or close authorities placed a bounty on Morais. Morais' brother has repeated these claims.[8] S. Ravi Chandaran, one of the accused, claimed that Razak offered him RM3.5 million ($735,000 USD in 2024) to admit guilt to the crime.[10]
Legacy
editOn 27 November 2015, in conjunction with the 59th birthday of the Sultan of Perak. Anthony Kevin Morais received the Darjah Datuk Paduka Mahkota Perak (DPMP), which carries the title "Dato’" from the 35th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah.[11][12]
In the Malaysian Anti Corruption Academy, there is a moot court named "Kevin Morais Moot Court" which was renamed after his death.[13][14][15]
In 2020, Morais was named as one of the two recipients of the International Anti-Corruption Award 2020 at the Perdana International Anti-Corruption Champion Fund (PIACCF).[16]
Honours
edit
Malaysia
Officer of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (KMN) (2009)
Commander of the Order of Meritorious Service (PJN) – Datuk (2016 – Posthumously)
Perak
Knight Commander of the Order of the Perak State Crown (DPMP) – Dato' (2015 – Posthumously)
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References
edit- ^ "Kevin Morais' youngest sibling attacks SD credibility". Malaysiakini. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ^ "Six get death for murder of DPP". The Star. Archived from the original on 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
- ^ Khairulrijal, Rahmat; Karim, Khairah N. (2020-07-10). "Six sentenced to hang over Kevin Morais murder | New Straits Times". NST Online. Archived from the original on 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
- ^ "Six sentenced to death for murder of Kevin Morais". The Edge Markets. 2020-07-10. Archived from the original on 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
- ^ "Six sentenced to death for murder of Kevin Morais". The Edge Markets. 2020-07-10. Archived from the original on 2021-06-29. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
- ^ Khairulrijal, Rahmat; Karim, Khairah N. (2020-07-10). "Six sentenced to hang over Kevin Morais murder | New Straits Times". NST Online. Archived from the original on 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
- ^ "Malaysian court upholds conviction against former pathologist, 5 others over murder of prosecutor Kevin Morais". CNA. 15 March 2024. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ a b Berthelsen, John. "Slain Malaysian Prosecutor Tied to Najib Probe". www.asiasentinel.com. Archived from the original on 2024-02-05. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
- ^ Lin, Koh Jun (2015-11-25). "'Kevin worked on PM and wife's case, initials on charge sheet'". Malaysiakini. Archived from the original on 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
- ^ Bernama (2018-10-02). "Kevin Morais murder: Accused tells of RM3.5 mil offer from Najib". Free Malaysia Today (FMT). Archived from the original on 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
- ^ "Mendiang Kevin Morais dianugerah darjah Perak bergelar Datuk". Malaysiakini. 27 November 2015. Archived from the original on 28 November 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ^ Jaspar Singh (27 November 2015). "Kevin Morais conferred posthumous 'Datuk' title". The Malay Mail. Archived from the original on 12 December 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ^ "SPRM abadikan nama Kevin Morais pada Moot Court MACA". Berita Harian. 19 September 2015. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ^ "MACC names moot court after Kevin Morais". The Star (Malaysia). 2 October 2015. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- ^ Rozanna Latiff (19 September 2015). "MACC renames moot court in honour of Kevin Morais". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- ^ Perimbanayagam, Kalbana (2020-02-11). "Kevin Morais named as recipient of International Anti-Corruption Award 2020". NST Online. Retrieved 2020-02-12.