KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — Former minister of international trade and industry Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali told the High Court here today that he mentioned Deepak Jaikishan’s name in his speech at the "Ceramah Perdana: Solidariti Menentang Kezaliman” gathering last year because of pictures of the businessman and a minister together.

Mohamed Azmin, 60, said one of the pictures showed Deepak sitting beside Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, on a flight to India and another of them together in a "buggy” vehicle.

He said this when testifying in a defamation suit filed against him by egg-importing company J&E Advance Tech Sdn Bhd.

"I maintain my answer. When I mentioned ‘Deepak’, ‘what is Deepak’s role?” it is a question. This was after the pictures were spread throughout the country.

"There is no denial from the minister and Deepak. In the picture they are seen in the same plane, sitting next to each other and in the same ‘buggy’...it is hard to believe it is a coincidence,” said Mohamed Azmin when re-examined by his lawyer Muhammad Nizamuddin Abdul Hamid.

When questioned by lawyer T. Gunaseelan, representing J&E Advance Tech, about the reason he referred the pictures to the court today, Mohamed Azmin said it was "because there was no denial from Deepak”.

Gunaseelan: Is it because you want to show Deepak is involved in importing eggs?

Mohamed Azmin: I want to ask, not to say that he is involved. I want an explanation.

Gunaseelan: If you want an explanation about egg import, you can ask without mentioning Deepak’s name. Why do you mention Deepak’s name?

Mohamed Azmin: The Honourable Minister (Mohamed Sabu) confirmed in Parliament that only one company is given the right to import chicken eggs. The question I raise is why is there a picture of Deepak with the minister in the same plane and "buggy” on the way to India.

Mohamed also told the court that he had never accused J&E Advance Tech obtained the IP to import eggs illegally.

"I question the process of obtaining chicken eggs from India. I don’t care which company gets it but I question the process, which is not transparent and not through open tender,” he said.

Last Monday (May 13), Deepak’s younger brother, Rajesh Jaikishan, who is J&E Advance Tech general manager, told the court that Mohamed Azmin’s claim in his speech was untrue because there was no direct negotiation with the government to obtain a license to import egg.

J&E Advance Tech Sdn Bhd filed the suit against Mohamed Azmin on April 12 last year for alleging that the company obtained a contract through direct negotiation with the government to import eggs from India.

The company claimed that Mohamed Azmin had defamed the company in his speech during the political talk at Taman Melewar, Gombak, on March 11 last year and the words were published by the print and electronic media, including YouTube.

According to the company, even though its name was not mentioned in the speech, it referred to J&E Advance Tech Sdn Bhd as it was the only Malaysian company allowed to import eggs from India as announced by Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu during a Parliament session on March 8 the same year.

It said that the claims by Mohamed Azmin were untrue as the company had never been involved and had no links with whatever direct negotiation by the Malaysian government. — Bernama