KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has denied all allegations made by his former bodyguard Sirul Azhar Umar during an interview aired on Al Jazeera’s 101 East programme on the 2006 murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.
His lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, in a statement today, also reaffirmed that Najib has been exonerated from any involvement in the case.
The exoneration, he said, has been decided by several quarters, including the high court, Court of Appeal and Federal Court.
He also said that the investigation, which was reopened after the 2018 general election, has also cleared Najib from any relation with the murder.
“At no point of time in any of these courts was our client (Najib) implicated by either the prosecution or defence – not in the least.
“Only in a last-ditch attempt at a review did former inspector Azilah Hadri attempt to provide a narrative implicating Najib, where the Federal Court held in 2020 that the allegation lacked substance both in procedure and merit.
“This is consistent with Najib’s stance over the years, where it’s repeatedly said that he has never met or knew Altantuya,” said the lawyer.
Shafee was responding on behalf of Najib over former Malaysian Special Action Unit officer Sirul, who dropped a bombshell revelation in an interview with Al-Jazeera English’s 101 East with Mary Ann Jolley.
Sirul, in the interview, said that the order given to kill the model was given to “protect” Najib, who was then deputy prime minister.
However, Sirul has never named the individual who had given the order.
Following this, Shafee said Sirul’s statement has implied a vague assertion that Najib exerts interference or influence over him, purportedly to protect the former prime minister.
Shafee deemed this to be a narrative quite different from Azilah’s which further fortifies the inconsistent stance taken by both him and Sirul.
“Najib categorically denies any allegations of seeking to influence or silence Sirul.
“In fact, he urges Sirul to be brave and to disclose any information he may have regarding the purported mastermind, in the interest of uncovering the truth, transparency and justice.
“Najib remains steadfast in denying any involvement in the tragic demise of Altantuya through such a heinous crime, and that he retains all legal rights and remedies in the matter against Sirul, Al-Jazeera and its reporter Mary Ann Jolley,” he said.
Shafee also said that both Sirul and Azilah were never Najib’s dedicated bodyguards, as they came from a pool of bodyguards which rotated between the top leadership in the then cabinet.
“In fact, both (Azilah and Sirul) were arrested for the first time after they arrived at the airport from the United Kingdom, after they had performed their duties to protect the previous prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
“Furthermore, Najib requests that the current government engage with the Australian authorities to facilitate Sirul’s extradition, ensuring a comprehensive investigation into his claims.
“Najib also suggests that the government might offer assurances against the imposition of the death penalty to facilitate the broader objective of truth and justice,” Shafee said.
Sirul and Azilah, who had been described as Najib’s bodyguards, were convicted in 2009 by the high court for murdering Altantuya but the Court of Appeal overturned the conviction in 2013, only for the Federal Court to reinstate it in 2015.
Sirul fled to Australia before the final verdict and had spent his days in Sydney’s Villawood immigration detention centre since 2015. His application for political asylum was rejected in 2019.
It was reported that Altantuya was abducted in October 2006, shot in the head in Puncak Alam and her remains were blown up with explosives.
Najib is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence after he was convicted of corruption related to the multi-billion ringgit 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal. – November 25, 2023