Anas Hakimi Mat @ Ahmad, a former cadet at the same base, said he saw the officer in question, known as “Ariff”, sitting on Soosaimanicckam’s stomach and slapping him repeatedly.

“This (incident) happened one day before Soosai died (on May 19, 2018).

“At the time, I and several others were doing push-ups and squat jumps,” he said.

He said another senior officer, known as “Rahim”, came in and diffused the situation.

Anas, now a lawyer, was testifying in a lawsuit brought by Soosaimanicckam’s family against the government and the navy for alleged negligence.

The family alleges that the defendants had failed to give Soosaimanicckam timely treatment.

They also claim that Soosaimanicckam was abused by several individuals named in the suit.

In his testimony, Anas also said Soosaimanicckam had been discriminated against by the superiors at KD Sultan Idris.

He said the cadet had wanted to call in sick but the officer-in-charge, Faiz Zanila, rejected his application.

“Faiz accused Soosai of being ‘manja’ (pampered),” he said.

Anas also told the court that senior trainers at KD Sultan Idris treated Soosaimanicckam harshly because the cadet was “slow”.

“For example, we only needed to do 10 push-ups, but the trainers made him do 30,” he said.

Asked during cross-examination by senior federal counsel Nur Ezdiani Roleb whether he knew that a post-mortem report had determined there were no bruises on Soosaimanicckam’s remains, Anas said no.

“You said he was slapped repeatedly. Do you agree that it would leave bruises on his face?” said Ezdiani.

“Not necessarily,” Anas replied.

Soosaimanicckam’s brothers, Charles and Calvin, also testified today.

Charles told the court that Soosaimanicckam had sent him a message, claiming that he was being “tortured” in training.

Calvin said Soosaimanicckam’s friends at KD Sultan Idris informed him that senior officers there had refused to allow him to take sick leave.

Last year, an inquest held to determine the cause of Soosaimanickam’s death returned an open verdict.

The hearing before judge Idah Ismail continues on April 17.