Nov 11, 1998

 MS Ummi was so upset when she was asked to rewrite her second letter (the retraction letter) that she broke down and cried.

 It happened on Aug 29, 1997 in a room in Kuala Lumpur's Pan Pacific Hotel when DSP Aziz and a woman constable met her to get another letter written.

 DSP Aziz was instructed by Special Branch chief Mohamed Said Awang to get a rewrite as Ms Ummi's first letter wasn't convincing enough.

 But, said DSP Aziz: "She was still adamant because she said she had already written another letter about 10 days earlier."

Finally, two hours later, he managed to convince her to write it.

 He then handed it to Datuk Mohamed Said in his office. The Special Branch chief still wasn't satisfied and wanted it to be firmer.

 "Datuk Said was breathing down my throat," DSP Aziz said. Defence lawyer Raja Aziz Addruse had to correct him. "It's breathing down my neck," he said to laughter in the court.

 With Datuk Mohamed Said in a foul mood, DSP Aziz decided to make the corrections himself and he later got the corrected version typed.

 "I then destroyed the original. The one containing the corrections I had made," he said.

 He then returned to the hotel for Ms Ummi to sign the typed letter.

 "She was very unhappy with the corrected version," he said. "Because it wasn't her original letter."

 It seems she cried even more and, after coaxing by DSP Aziz, she signed the open letter after making a correction to the spelling of her name.

 To tie up loose ends, DSP Aziz then told her to make a copy of the signed letter in her own handwriting. He then told her to address it to Anwar.

 EXCHANGE OF THE DAY

 THERE was laughter in court when Judge Augustine Paul commented that defence lawyer Raja Aziz Addruse was in the process of "turning over'' DSP Abdul Aziz Hussin to get the answer he was hoping for.

 Following is the exchange of words between counsel and witness which led to Judge Paul making the comment:

 Raja Aziz: So, the first letter signed by Ummi Hafilda Ali was not satisfactory?

 DSP Aziz: Yes, that's true.

 Raja Aziz: You were aware that the letter was not satisfactory?

 DSP Aziz: Yes, that is true. I realised myself that the letter was not satisfactory.

 Raja Aziz: Then, what did you do with the letter?

DSP Aziz: I've answered the question, My Lord.

Judge Paul: This is like a "turning over process'' by the court. Otherwise, how can the defence counsel get the answer that he wanted?