Dr Cynthia Joseph inquest: Sister accused of being unco-operative

Email to friend Print article

Dr Charlotte Jane says she hired a lawyer after writing to Pantai Cheras Medical Centre.
KUALA LUMPUR: he in!"est into Dr Cynthia Jose#h$s death too% a twist yesterday
when the coroner s"ggested that the witness Dr Charlotte Jane was answering !"estions
as tho"gh &she was hiding something'.
Coroner asnim A(" )a%ar said Dr Charlotte* who is Dr Cynthia$s sister* was not co+
o#erati,e with the co"rt while she answered !"estions #osed (y co"nsel -. .i,anathan.
.i,anathan* re#resenting Dr Cynthia$s attending #hysician at the time of her death* Dr
Ra,i A##araw* had as%ed her when she came to %now that Dr Ra,i was her sister$s doctor.
Dr Charlotte* the second witness in the in!"est* re#lied: &/ didn$t %now "ntil yo"
mentioned it. /f someone told me / wo"ld ha,e s#o%en to him*0 she said.
At this #oint* asnim interr"#ted* saying the witness was not (eing co+o#erati,e.
&he way yo" answer is as tho"gh yo" are hiding something. 1hy is the witness saying
that she did not %now who the attending #hysician was when the lawyers for Pantai
Cheras Medical Centre 2PCMC3 had already sent her a letter telling her to write to the
said doctor who is Dr Ra,i*0 she said (efore ad4o"rning #roceedings for fi,e min"tes.
Dr Charlotte* when earlier !"estioned (y .i,anathan* had said that she went to the
hos#ital where her sister died to find a medical e5#lanation as to the ca"se of her death.
&/ as%ed if there were any (lood sam#les sent to A"stralia for in,estigation as told to my
father and myself (y Dr Retna Rasa 2Dr Cynthia$s h"s(and3. / tho"ght it wo"ld hel# me
find o"t the ca"se of death.
&1hen / saw the (lood s"gar le,el* / made "# my mind to formally write to PCMC and
the ne5t day / hired a lawyer*0 she said.
1hen as%ed if she tried to meet Dr Ra,i when she went to the hos#ital to find an
e5#lanation* she said no.
&/ wrote a letter to the hos#ital and normally that letter wo"ld (e forwarded to the
attending #hysician*0 she said.
.i,anathan: .o "ntil now* yo" still ha,e not as%ed who the attending #hysican was6
Dr Charlotte: -o* (eca"se when the letter came from the lawyer$s firm to write to Dr
Ra,i* / had already lodged a #olice re#ort. .o / left it to them to in,estigate.
Dr Cynthia* a #ri,ate medical #ractitioner* died on .e#t 78* 799:. he death certificate
iss"ed (y the Pantai Cheras Medical Centre stated she died of ac"te cardiac arrest.
;er (ody was e5h"med in Decem(er as #olice (egan in,estigations into her death.
1hen co"nsel <eronica E"nice <a= later as%ed Dr Charlotte if she tho"ght her sister had
committed s"icide* she said no.
&1hen / went (ac% to wor% in /#oh after the e5h"mation* Dr >anesa 2Dr Retna$s (rother3*
who wor%s in the same hos#ital as /* told others in my de#artment that it co"ld ha,e (een
s"icide.
&/t co"ld not ha,e (een a #ro(a(le ca"se (eca"se she was in the hos#ital for three days
and she was ,ery concerned a(o"t her s#ells of "nconscio"sness.
&.he e,en remar%ed a(o"t what wo"ld ha,e ha##ened if her son fo"nd her that way. /f it
was s"icide* Dr Retna sho"ld ha,e told me so.
<a=: Des#ite marital #ro(lems in,ol,ing the other woman ?amini* did Dr Cynthia
mention any other #ro(lem6
Dr Charlotte: .he %new that there were also other women who were associated with Dr
Retna. / only highlighted ?amini (eca"se that was the only one / had #roof of.
;earing contin"es on -o, @.