It looks like Prime Minister Najib Razak, at the centre of the Scorpene-Altantuya corruption and murder scandals, is hitting the panic buttons.
Officers from the Companies Commission of Malaysia tried to raid the office of human rights group SUARAM on Tuesday afternoon but had to abort their plan after discovering their warrant had not been signed.
The failed raid follows days of haranguing in the Umno-controlled newspapers urging the government to investigate why the human rights group was registered as a company, and yet styled itself as an NGO or non-governmental organisation.
Umno-linked groups also demanded that the authorities inspected SUARAM's sources of funding and what happened to the nearly one million ringgit it posted as earnings since 2009.
“It is to distract members of the public and divert attention from the ongoing probe into corruption involved in the Scorpene deal," SUARAM director Cynthia Gabriel said.
She had tweeted when 4 CCM officers turned up to question SUARAM staff as well as to inspect its books and raid its premises.
RoC officers just entered SUARAM premises w a warrant to do a search!@cynthia_gabriel
RoC officers warrant invalid, not signed by the Registrar, so they had to cut their visit short. Suaram staff know their stuff! Bravo!@cynthia_gabriel
But incredibly incompetent as the CCM staff may have seemed, it won't stop them from returning on Wednesday.
"They will come back tomorrow," said Cynthia.
Nervous over the revelations in France
Many suspect that he might trying to seize documents to find out about the latest status of the ongoing trial on the Scorpenes corruption case in France.
"It is very likely that Najib might want to know what SUARAM knows. Hence the raid on the pretence of checking its books but I believe that at this stage, Najib and Umno would do anything to cover their tracks. They might want to exactly how much dirt the French police have dug up on them," PKR MP for Batu Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.
Najib, as the defense minister sanctioning the Malaysian government's purchase of 2 Scorpene submarines in 2002, has been accused of taking at least 114 million euros as an illegal kickback via his proxy Razak Baginda.
Documents seized from DCNS, the vendor of the submarines, by the French police also show UMNO's involvement in the money trail for the payment of the illegal commission.
Frenzy to de-link Altantuya from Scorpenes - why?
In particular, they tried to segregate the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu from the Scorpenes deal by denying she had ever been to France or had met any DCNS officials.
However, documents seized by the French police show clearly that Altantuya could have entered France under the name of "SHAARIYBUU Bayasgalan born on 26 February 1979 in Mongolia was issued a temporary residency card on the French territory valid from 27 August 2004 to 26 November 2004".
Another document that records an interview between the French police and former DCNS Financial Director Gérard-Philippe Menayas also specifically mentioned Altantuya by name and stated her position as Baginda's interpreter.
Altantuya was murdered in Malaysia in 2006 by two of Najib's former bodyguards who have since been sentenced to hang. Both are appealing the sentence and there is huge speculation that the 'master-mind' behind the murder is still at large as neither men had any motive to kill her and one of them actually said that he had been paid RM100,000 to kill her but his statement was ignored by the Malaysian judge
Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor have denied involvement in the murder case, while Baginda was charged for abetting the two cops in the murder. Baginda was controversially acquitted later on.
The acceptance of Altantuya as a figure no matter how insignificant in the Scorpenes case will place enormous pressure on Najib. It will confirm the allegations that the Malaysian trial judge had refused to acknowledge and instead kept suppressed - that Altantuya was killed because of her connection to Najib's Scorpenes scandal.
High stakes for Najib and Umno
Najib has also denied receiving any kickbacks from the Scorpenes purchase. However, until now his administration has refused to initiate a public inquiry into the matter. It was this denial of transparency that spurred SUARAM to file a complain in Paris against DCNS in 2010.
If DCNS is found guilty of having bribed Malaysian officials to buy their submarines, they may have to compensate the Malaysian people for the pricing inflated by the kickback. The revelation of the Malaysian officials involved would also expose those guilty and if Najib was one of them, this would spell the end of his career.
For Umno, the stakes are just as high.
The evidence raised by the French police and submitted to the Parisian court, which started hearing the case this April, shows the party had a hand in receiving a part of the alleged commission. And
Why did Judge Mohd Zaki dismissed to call Najib and Balasubramaniam despite his written declaration, which implicated Najib as a witness in the trial.
Tun CJ, it is the other way round. Please restore the Judiciary’s Integrity and Independence, and you will earn our respect. You are given this opportunity to remove the stigma of a compromised judiciary after the removal of Lord President Tun Salleh Abas in 1988 by an all powerful Prime Minister. So, seize the moment and make a difference. –Din Merican
Everyone can give their opinion on the country’s Judiciary or any judicial decision but not to the extent of insulting the institution.
Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria(picture) said in other countries such as England, for example, the people were free to give their opinion because, indirectly, this could bring an improvement to the judicial system.
“It is good to give such opinions and this can assist us to develop our law. You can also write but not to the extent of committing contempt of court, for example.
“We are open and such criticism is normal, and we often hear that there are court decisions that are illogical and so on. Show proof if the judges’ decisions are unfair, biased or if there are elements of bribery involved. Prove it… don’t just talk,” he told reporters after opening the 46th Conference of the Malaysian Judges Council here today.
Also present were Court of Appeal President Tan Sri Raus Sharif, Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin and Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum.
Arifin said as judges they could not defend themselves against such allegations and this was not fair to the judges.He said the instruction that judges should not forge close relations with politicians and businessmen was to avoid negative perception of the Judiciary.
“Some of the politicians and businessmen are involved in court cases. This instruction aims to prevent such things (biasness),” he said.
Commenting on the statement by former Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi that the Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet had never given any instruction to the judiciary, Arifin said the statement was true.
On the conference attended by 120 judges throughout the country, the Chief Justice said the objective was to enable the judges to exchange views aimed at improving the Judiciary further
Tun CJ, it is the other way round. Please restore the Judiciary’s Integrity and Independence, and you will earn our respect. You are given this opportunity to remove the stigma of a compromised judiciary after the removal of Lord President Tun Salleh Abas in 1988 by an all powerful Prime Minister. So, seize the moment and make a difference. –Din Merican
Everyone can give their opinion on the country’s Judiciary or any judicial decision but not to the extent of insulting the institution.
Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria(picture) said in other countries such as England, for example, the people were free to give their opinion because, indirectly, this could bring an improvement to the judicial system.
“It is good to give such opinions and this can assist us to develop our law. You can also write but not to the extent of committing contempt of court, for example.
“We are open and such criticism is normal, and we often hear that there are court decisions that are illogical and so on. Show proof if the judges’ decisions are unfair, biased or if there are elements of bribery involved. Prove it… don’t just talk,” he told reporters after opening the 46th Conference of the Malaysian Judges Council here today.
Also present were Court of Appeal President Tan Sri Raus Sharif, Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin and Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum.
Arifin said as judges they could not defend themselves against such allegations and this was not fair to the judges.He said the instruction that judges should not forge close relations with politicians and businessmen was to avoid negative perception of the Judiciary.
“Some of the politicians and businessmen are involved in court cases. This instruction aims to prevent such things (biasness),” he said.
Commenting on the statement by former Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi that the Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet had never given any instruction to the judiciary, Arifin said the statement was true.
On the conference attended by 120 judges throughout the country, the Chief Justice said the objective was to enable the judges to exchange views aimed at improving the Judiciary furtherSaid Datuk Seri Najib Razak.a technicalmatter did not involve the judiciary like my SMS Shafee Abdullah,Judge Zaki dismiss Najib as a witness
According to evidence introduced at the trial and other sources, Abdul Razak contacted Najib’s chief of staff, Musa Safri, to ask Najib’s bodyguards, Azilah and Sirul, to “do something” about Altantuya. Musa was not required to appear as a witness. Deputy Commander Mastor Mohd Ariff, an associate of the two bodyguards, said members of the unit were required to follow all orders of their superiors without question, describing the unit’s members as “like robots” who would only take orders from their superiors. Abdul Razak, a civilian and friend of Najib’s, was not a superior officer.According to an affidavit filed by Abdul Razak, Azilah contacted Abdul Razak after Altantuya’s disappearance to say that “tonight encik (sir), you can sleep well.”
Testimony by the murdered woman’s cousin indicated that immigration records of Altantuya and the two Mongolian companions who had come toMalaysia with her to confront Abdul Razak disappeared from the government’s immigration files. She also responded to a question that she had seen a picture of Altantuya having dinner with Najib before she was hurriedly hushed up by both prosecution and defense lawyers.
Nonetheless, Judge Mohd Zaki dismissed a bid in July to call Najib as a witness in the trial. Zaki also refused to call Balasubramaniam despite his written declaration, which implicated Najib in the events leading up to the murder. In addition to other lurid details, Balasubramaniam described text messages between Najib and Abdul Razak in which the latter was asking for help to avoid arrest.
Later, a series of text messages was made public indicating that Najib had been involved in finding a lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, to represent Abdul Razak. One message from Shafee to Najib said: "We provided (the police) everything, including old PDAs and notebooks and a couple of bills. Nothing incriminating." Malaysia Today said the exchange raises questions if anything "incriminating" was kept from the police.
Besides allegations that Altantuya was the lover of both men, the case has raised additional concerns of corruption at the top of the United Malays National Organisation, the leading political party in the national ruling coalition. The Mongolian woman appears to have been the translator on a controversial transaction in which Malaysia, with Najib as defense minister, paid €1 billion for French submarines, netting a company tied to Abdul Razak US$111 million in “commissions.”
The spectre of murdered Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu today followed Datuk Seri Najib Razak all the way from home to his first official trip to Europe as prime minister in what clearly is an attempt to embarrass him publicly.
Altantuya, who suffered a gruesome death on Malaysian soil three years ago, was a former mistress to political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, who is a close associate of Najib.
In an emailed statement to The Malaysian Insider said to be from Altantuya’s father, Dr Shaariibuu Setev expressed his regret that he could not be in Paris today to greet Najib because he was sick and in hospital.
“I had so wished to speak to Mr Najib and send him this message and to shake his hand,” Shaariibuu wrote.
“I hope PM Mr. Najib Razak enjoys his trip to France, where a deal with a French company which his close friend Abdul Razak Baginda help broker led to the circumstances surrounding my daughter’s murder,” he claimed.
Shaariibuu demanded Najib, who took over as prime minister in April, take full responsibility for his then 28-year-old daughter’s death.
He claims she had died while working as a translator in a secret deal to help the Malaysian government buy French submarines worth billions of Euros.
He highlighted two reports saying that Najib’s aide-de-camp, Musa Safri, had ordered two policemen to “deal with Altantuya” when she had approached her lover over her share of commissions.
The Shah Alam High Court last year found the two policemen guilty of blowing up Altantuya’s body in a Shah Alam jungle three years ago and sent them to the gallows, but cleared Abdul Razak of abetting in the murder.
Their appeal against the death sentence is pending in the Court of Appeal.
Shaariibuu last month dropped a suit against the federal government to push them to appeal against Abdul Razak’s acquittal.
However, he is still suing the government as well as Abdul Razak and the two cops for RM100 million over Altantuya’s death.
His lawyer, Karpal Singh, told reporters previously that Shaariibuu has indicated that he is willing to settle the matter out of court.
He is worried for the future of Altantuya’s two young sons who are currently living with him and his equally ill wife.
“With so many closely linked to Najib in this murder, it is impossible and irresponsible for Najib to now wash his hands off this mater (sic) and act as if none of this tragedy has befallen my daughter and my family,” Shaariibuu wrote.
“The French company involved in the Malaysian deal also cannot escape with impunity,” he added, stressing that Altantuya would have been spared if the “deal had been transparent and fair.” all the way from home to his first official trip to Europe as prime minister in what clearly is an attempt to embarrass him publicly.
Altantuya, who suffered a gruesome death on Malaysian soil three years ago, was a former mistress to political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, who is a close associate of Najib.
In an emailed statement to The Malaysian Insider said to be from Altantuya’s father, Dr Shaariibuu Setev expressed his regret that he could not be in Paris today to greet Najib because he was sick and in hospital.
“I had so wished to speak to Mr Najib and send him this message and to shake his hand,” Shaariibuu wrote.
“I hope PM Mr. Najib Razak enjoys his trip to France, where a deal with a French company which his close friend Abdul Razak Baginda help broker led to the circumstances surrounding my daughter’s murder,” he claimed.
Shaariibuu demanded Najib, who took over as prime minister in April, take full responsibility for his then 28-year-old daughter’s death.
He claims she had died while working as a translator in a secret deal to help the Malaysian government buy French submarines worth billions of Euros.
He highlighted two reports saying that Najib’s aide-de-camp, Musa Safri, had ordered two policemen to “deal with Altantuya” when she had approached her lover over her share of commissions.
The Shah Alam High Court last year found the two policemen guilty of blowing up Altantuya’s body in a Shah Alam jungle three years ago and sent them to the gallows, but cleared Abdul Razak of abetting in the murder.
Their appeal against the death sentence is pending in the Court of Appeal.
Shaariibuu last month dropped a suit against the federal government to push them to appeal against Abdul Razak’s acquittal.
However, he is still suing the government as well as Abdul Razak and the two cops for RM100 million over Altantuya’s death.
His lawyer, Karpal Singh, told reporters previously that Shaariibuu has indicated that he is willing to settle the matter out of court.
He is worried for the future of Altantuya’s two young sons who are currently living with him and his equally ill wife.
“With so many closely linked to Najib in this murder, it is impossible and irresponsible for Najib to now wash his hands off this mater (sic) and act as if none of this tragedy has befallen my daughter and my family,” Shaariibuu wrote.
“The French company involved in the Malaysian deal also cannot escape with impunity,” he added, stressing that Altantuya would have been spared if the “deal had been transparent and fair.”
Beautiful Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu was Shot in the Head Twice and Then She was blown to pieces with C4 Explosive in a Gruesome Murder inMalaysia Allegedly by Top Level Officials and Political Elites.
Malaysia’s Ruling Party is on the Ropes and Things are Getting Ugly Real Fast:An influential Malaysian blogger alleges that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s wife was present when a Mongolian translator/model was murdered in 2006. Can somebody say ‘cover-up’?
I am sure when suspensions get serious they will find a “fall person” usually some local idiot and have that person convicted and executed real fast if this is a crime by the Political Elites. And people will forget about it real soon, thats the way cover ups usually work.The police will give priority to to stamping out street crimes, in line with the government commitment to reduce crime and corruption, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Musa Hassan said.
Drastic measures would be taken to address the problem to ensure public safety and security, he said.
“Street crimes like snatch thefts and robberies have a big impact as people are afraid to go outdoors, thus limiting their movements.
“Police want to reduce such crimes which have become rampant,” he said when commenting on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s statement that the government would take measures to check crime.
Musa said PDRM would increase manpower and beat base in public places known to be risky due to the many crimes committed there.
Some seriously troubling questions in Malaysia
Kim Quek, Asia Sentinel
An unbelievable spectacle took place in the bizarre murder trial of Mongolian beauty Altantuya Shaaribuu on June 29. Karpal Singh, the lawyer for the victim’s family, attempted to ask a question about a “government official” allegedly seen in a photograph with the victim. At that point, both the prosecutor and the defense lawyer sprang to their feet in unison to block the question.
This resulted in a shouting match, with Singh on one side, the victim’s cousin on the stand, and the combined forces of the prosecution and defense blocking the line of questioning.
Earlier, a similar division of forces occurred when a Mongolian witness – a girlfriend of the victim told the court that immigration entry computer records of the deceased and her two Mongolian companions, including the witness, had been mysteriously erased. When Singh asked the court to take proper note of this highly irregular event, both the prosecution and defense objected to the evidence as irrelevant, and insisted that it be expunged.
Now, isn’t that a strange phenomenon? A prosecutor is supposed to seek justice for the deceased victim’s family against the murderers, so how come the prosecutor is now ganging up with defense lawyers to oppose the victim’s family lawyer? Is this a case of prosecutor vs. defense or a case of prosecutor plus defense vs. victim’s family? Obviously, the prosecution and defense seem to have plenty of common interests. What are those common interests?
The answer may lie in the identity of that “government official” that allegedly appeared in the photograph with Altantuya that both prosecution and defense tried so hard not to allow into court.
On Day 10 of the trial, Altantuya’s cousin Burmaa Oyunchimeg testified that after Altantuya returned from France, she went to Hong Kong to meet Burmaa, and showed her a photograph of Altantuya and her lover, Abdul Razak Baginda, who is accused of conspiring in her murder, and “a government official” taking a meal together. Answering Singh later, after the shouting match in the court had subsided, she said this “government official” was Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.
She could distinctly remember the name, she said, because it bears a similarity to Altantuya’s acknowledged lover’s name, and she even asked Altantuya whether they were brothers. Burmaa further added that the photo had also been shown to Altantuya’s father.
Now, the revelation of Najib in the photo would not have caused such a sensation if not for the deputy prime minister’s oft-repeated denial of any knowledge of Altantuya, including a public denial during a recent by-election, when even the name of Allah was invoked.
What does Najib have to say now that his denial is directly contradicted by the witness Burmaa? His press secretary Tengku Sarifuddin Tengku Ahmad issued a brief statement on June 30 saying that the deputy prime minister had declined to comment for two reasons. One, any comment might be sub judice, since the case is in court, and, two, Najib had already repeatedly denied an acquaintance with the girl in the past, “as such, the issue over the picture does not arise,” the spokesman said.
Sub judice? That’s ridiculous. How could a simple statement like “I have never had my photo taken with Altantuya” be sub judice? In fact, being the number-two leader in the government, Najib is absolutely duty-bound to say outright whether he was ever photographed with Altantuya, in view of the serious implications of Burmaa’s allegation.
The issue over the picture does not arise? Equally ridiculous. In fact, the opposite is true. Precisely because of Najib’s past denials, it is all the more imperative that Najib must stand up now to clarify.
Guilty conscience?
There is only one explanation for Najib’s past denials and his present silence: A guilty conscience. If Najib’s conduct with respect to the case had been above-board, there would be no reason for him to deny an acquaintance with his friend Abdul Razak’s friend Altantuya. Similarly, if the allegation of the picture is false, it is inconceivable and totally incomprehensible that Najib should have chosen not to refute Burmaa’s allegation.
In fact, Najib seems so worried about the publicity of the picture that his secretary called editors in the local press and requested them not to blow up the issue. This resulted in the explosive story being absent from the local headlines the next day. (In one Chinese paper – Guang Ming – the Najib story hit the front page in the evening edition, but disappeared completely by the next morning). And of course, Anwar Ibrahim’s criticism of the trial and his specific call on Najib to clarify the issue of the picture during a press conference was generally blacked out.
However, despite such new suppression, irreversible damage is done. There is little doubt that Najib is deeply troubled and his political position seriously weakened.
Manipulation
That this murder case has been subjected to serious political manipulation has been obvious from the very start, when the police commenced their highly questionable investigation, right through to the present trial when the conduct of lawyers for both sides appear increasingly dubious. Instead of the prosecutor seeking the truth and the defense lawyer fighting for the accused, both seem preoccupied with an overriding mission – to prevent the whole truth from emerging. Their combined efforts to cover up the issue of the immigration record and the identity of Najib Razak in the picture are just two examples of such conduct.
The highly irregular nature of this case was also marked by frequent and mysterious changes of legal personnel, resulting in a complete changeover of the defense team, the prosecutors and the judge even before the hearings began. These weird phenomena were crowned by the shock appearance of a new team of prosecutors who were appointed only hours before the hearing was supposed to begin, thus necessitating an impromptu postponement of the trial for two weeks. None of these changes of legal personnel has been properly explained, except for the resignation of Abdul Razak’s first lawyer; Zulkifli Noordin, quit, he said, because of “serious interference by third parties”.
Under these circumstances, the public must brace itself for more aberrant scenarios from this court, while Najib and his supporters may have to keep their fingers crossed in the days ahead when many more witnesses have yet to walk through what must appear to Najib as a minefield.
On a more serious note, this unseemly trial does not exactly add credit to Malaysia’s system, whose already wretched image has just been further mauled by the shameful finale of another sham trial – that of Eric Chia of Perwaja Steel fame. After seven long years of investigations and three years of court hearings, that case was thrown out due to lack of prima facie evidence. With that, the long-drawn out Perwaja Steel saga ended without finding any culprit for the mountain of losses (more than RM 10 billion) suffered by taxpayers.
There has been a spate of criminal cases being dismissed of late due to inadequate investigations and poor prosecution, indicating that the downward slide of our criminal justice system, which began in the Mahathir era, has gotten worse under Abdullah Badawi’s leadership. With the criminal justice system in a shambles, the rule of law is in jeopardy. And that is an important benchmark to judge the efficacy of Abdullah’s administration vis-à-vis his reform agenda.
Kim Quek is a Malaysia-based commentator.
C4 Murder: Malaysian Police will be calling up Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin to investigate allegations in his recent statutory declaration on purported facts related to the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said the three individuals named in the document filed on June 18 would also be called up.
In an explosive statutory declaration to a Malaysian court, one of Malaysia’s most prominent web journalists has alleged that the wife of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak as well as a Malaysian Army officer and the officer’s wife were directly involved in the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu on October 19, 2006, and that people at the very top of the Malaysian government are aware of the fact. Raja Petra Kamaruddin states:
“Altantuya’s body is alleged to have been blown up with C4 explosives at a secondary forest in Puncak Alam, Shah Alam. The murder trial is currently ongoing at the Shah Alam High Court.
“My informer states that Aziz was the person who placed the C4 on various parts of Altantuya’s body witnessed by Rosmah and Norhayati,” Raja Petra claimed in the document.
“I make this statutory declaration because I have been reliably informed about the involvement of these three people who have thus far not been implicated in the murder nor called as witnesses by the prosecution in the ongoing trial at the Shah Alam High Court.
“I also make this statutory declaration because I am aware that it is a crime not to reveal evidence that may help the police in its investigation of the crime,” read the document, which was first posted on the bigdogdotcomblog run by another blogger.“
He further alleged that he has also been ‘reliably informed’ that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi knows of Najib’s wife alleged involvement.
Najib and Rosmah have repeatedly denied they are linked to the killing of Altantuya, describing the widely-known allegations was nothing more than ‘slander and concocted stories’.
The declaration, by Raja Petra Kamaruddin, a well-connected journalist who edits the web publicationMalaysia Today and is on trial for sedition charges stemming from a commentary on the case. There is no independent confirmation of Raja Petra’s allegations, and the declaration was ignored by Malaysia’s government-linked mainstream media and one Kuala Lumpur-based lawyer with connections to top United Malays National Organisation figures expressed doubt about it.
In the declaration, Raja Petra claimed that the trio – one of them a prominent woman – were present at the scene during the murder of the Mongolian translator in October 2006.
Copies of the two-paged declaration together with the identity of the trio have been posted on various blog sites.
In the document, Raja Petra said he was “reliably informed” of these allegations. An aide to Najib also said they were aware of this latest claim made by Raja Petra. The aide however refused to comment if any action could be taken against Raja Petra.
Musa said the matter could be sub judice as the Altantuya murder case was still being heard.
He also said Raja Petra must be “brave enough to face the consequences if he is bold enough” to make the allegations.
Meanwhile, the Attorney-General’s Chambers has lodged a police report against Raja Petra over the statutory declaration.
Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said the allegations were “highly defamatory” and if found untrue, those making the allegations would have to face the consequences.
“We want to investigate because we want the truth. As far as I am concerned, we have to look at it seriously.”
“If it’s true, we will act accordingly. If not, the writer will be investigated,” he said, adding that the report was lodged in Putrajaya on Saturday.
Raja Petra said he expected to be called up.
He said he was bold enough to face the consequences. This is not the first time he is alleging that Najib was involved in Altantuya’s murder, but he has failed to produce any solid proofs besides empty talks so far.
The story adds considerable chaos to the country’s political mix. The Barisan Nasional, the national ruling coalition, is reeling from the loss of its two-thirds majority in March elections. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, taking the brunt of criticism over the loss, has already promised to step down at some future date to cede the premiership to Najib. District elections are due in July in the United Malays National Organisation and there are suspicions that the verdict in the Altantuya murder trial is being delayed until the elections are completed.
Raja Petra wrote that Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, and Acting Colonel Aziz Buyong and his wife, Norhayati, Rosmah’s aide-de-camp, were present at the scene of the murder and that Aziz Buyong was the individual who placed C4 plastic explosive on Altantuya’s body and blew it up. Both Najib and his wife have repeatedly denied any involvement in the case although Kuala Lumpur has been buzzing for months with rumors of their complicity.
Shaariibuu was executed by two shots to the head and her body was blown up with military explosives in a patch of jungle near the suburban city of Shah Alam. One of Najib’s closest friends, Abdul Razak Baginda, once the influential head of a political think-tank, and two of Najib’s bodyguards, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar of the elite Unit Tindak Khas or Special Police Action Unit, are the subjects of a marathon murder trial that got underway more than a year ago.
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has ordered the police to conduct a thorough probe into the murder of a beautiful Mongolian freelance model.
The Prime Minister said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan informed him about the murder of 28-year-old Altantuya Shaariibuu.
“I told the IGP he had to investigate the case thoroughly and properly.
“Nobody is above the law. That should be remembered,” he said when asked to comment on the high-profile murder that took place about two weeks ago.
The police have detained a 46-year-old prominent political analyst who heads a local think-tank and remanded him for five days from yesterday to facilitate investigation.
On the involvement of police personnel in the murder, Abdullah, who is also Internal Security Minister, said action must be taken against anybody found guilty under the law.
Three police personnel — a chief inspector, a lance corporal and a constable — have also been remanded to assist investigation into the gruesome killing of Altantuya, who was shot before her body was blown up to bits in a secondary jungle in Puncak Alam, Shah Alam.
The woman arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 9 with her sister and a cousin in search of the political analyst whom she claimed fathered her 16-month-old son.
Altantuya’s case came to light after her sister lodged a police report following her disappearance on Oct 21. Police identified the political analyst, who is said to have befriended the deceased a few years ago, as a suspect.
Earlier, Abdullah launched the Royal Professor Ungku Aziz Chair and the Centre for Poverty and Development Studies at Universiti Malaya.
Neither Najib nor his chief of staff, Musa Safri, has been questioned nor summoned to testify despite the fact that Baginda, in a sworn statement in November 2006, said he had contacted Musa for help in dealing with Altantuya, his jilted lover who was demanding money. That statement raised suspicions that all sides in the court – prosecution, defense and judiciary – are struggling to keep the case under wraps. The trial has been subject to numerous delays for reasons that are unclear.
Raja Petra himself is due to go on trial in October on sedition charges that were filed against him for writing an article titled “Let’s Send Altantuya’s Murderers to Hell.” In that piece, he accused Najib, his wife and others of complicity in the murder. He amplified the statement considerably in his statutory declaration, made last Wednesday, in which he also said that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had seen a full report by military intelligence on the involvement of the deputy premier’s family. Badawi gave the intelligence report to his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, for safekeeping, according to Raja Petra’s statement.
Raja Petra, a member of the Selangor royal family, also wrote that one of the country’s sultans had been given a full report on the matter. He didn’t identify the sultan, but if his statements are true it means that at least one member of royalty may be able to back up his declaration, which was not made under oath.
From the time Altantuya’s body was discovered, the case has raised dark questions about the possible involvement of top government figures. Others also believe that the 28-year-old mother of two may have been involved in a much bigger controversy than a jilted relationship. She made several trips to Kuala Lumpur to attempt to confront Baginda, at one point standing in front of his house and screaming “Razak, bastard, come out!” The last time she was seen alive was again in front of his house, when she was bundled into a car and taken away.
She had accompanied Baginda to France when he was involved in negotiating the purchase of two Scorpene submarines and a used Agosta submarine produced by the French government through a French-Spanish joint venture, Armaris, for the Malaysian defense ministry, which was headed by Najib as minister. The submarines were bought through a Kuala Lumpur-based company, Perimekar Sdn Bhd, which at the time was owned by yet another company, Ombak Laut, which was wholly owned by Abdul Razak Baginda.
The €1 billion (RM4.5 billion) contract to buy the submarines was non-competitive and netted Perimekar €114 million. Although Najib has sworn an oath to Allah that he had never met the woman, he was in France at the same time as Najib, one of his best friends, was there, dealing with matters over the submarine. A cousin of Altantuya’s testified at the trial that she had seen a picture of Najib together with the dead woman, but she was quickly hushed up by both defense and prosecution lawyers about the matter and the picture has not been produced.
Altantuya admitted in a letter discovered after her death that she had been blackmailing Abdul Razak, presumably to keep his family from finding out about their relationship. But in his statement to the police, Baginda said he had already informed his family of the relationship; he said she was pressuring him for US$500,000. Her father, Setev Shaariibuu, a psychology professor in Ulan Bataar, has said she was killed because she “knew too much,” although he has never elaborated on that statement.
Given the close relationship between the two men, and that Najib was reported as presenting jackets made available by Perimekar to the submarine crews training in France, and that Altantuya was traveling with Baginda, it is difficult to understand why the court has not pursued the issue of whether they met.
It is also difficult to understand, given published reports, plus the fact that the accused Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar were members of Najib’s own bodyguard unit, that neither Najib nor Musa has been questioned about how the bodyguards came to be accused of Altantuya’s murder.
There have been many other discrepancies as well. Prosecutorial setbacks over the course of the trial have endangered the case. Sirul’s purported confession has been thrown out. The prosecution has attempted to impeach one of the prosecution’s star witnesses, Rohaniza Roslan, a 28-year-old policewoman and Azilah’s girlfriend. Rohaniza said she had seen the victim bundled into a red Proton car and taken away. Later, in court, she said she had been “tortured and coaxed” by police interrogators into signing that statement; she then offered the court a version of events that differed considerably from her initial account.
“The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor cannot remain silent on the latest bombshell,” wrote Lim Kit Siang, leader of the opposition Democratic Action Party. “The credibility and legitimacy of the Abdullah premiership and government will suffer a mortal blow if Abdullah, Najib and Rosmah remain silent on Raja Petra’s bombshell allegations.”
Raja Petra Kamarudin has made a serious statutory declaration on June 18 alleging that Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib’s wife, was at the murder scene of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006. Whether the allegation is truth or not is not known… in fact only very few people would know at the moment. RPK has shown his courage over the years, some say he is abusing his influence to bully the politicians.
Altantuya was last seen on Oct 19, 2006 as she was being bundled into a car outside Abdul Razak’s home.
Najib Abdul Razak has been asked to explain the claim made in a court testimonial today that he had been photographed with murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu. PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said it was all the more compelling for the deputy premier to explain since he had previously denied having met her.
THE MONGOLIAN PM WROTE TO THE MALAYSIAN PM BUT NEVER GOT A RESPONSE…
Shaariibuugiin Altantuyaa (Mongolian language: Шаарийбуугийн Алтантуяа; sometimes alsoAltantuya Shaariibuu; 1978 – 2006), a Mongolian national, was a murder victim who was either murdered by C-4explosives or was somehow killed first and her remains destroyed with C-4 in October 2006 in a deserted area in Shah Alam, Malaysia near Kuala Lumpur.
Altantuyaa was born in 1978. Her parents raised her and her sister while they worked in Russia where Altantuyaa started first grade elementary school. She was reportedly fluent in Mongolian, Russian, Chinese and English.
Altantuyaa moved back to Mongolia in 1990 and a few years later, married a Mongolian techno singer, Maadai. They had a child in 1996 but the marriage ended in divorce and the child went to live with Altantuyaa’s parents.
Despite training as a teacher, Altantuyaa briefly moved to France where she attended modeling school before returning to Mongolia. She only modeled part-time, for a brief time also opening a tour business in Mongolia.
Altantuyaa remarried and had another child in 2003 but the second marriage also ended in divorce (this is questionable). The second child also lives with Altantuyaa’s parents. Her mother said she never been a model.
She moved to Hong Kong in 2005, it was around this time she met Abdul Razak Baginda, a defense analyst from the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre think-tank, reportedly beginning a relationship with him. Initial reports of Altantuya having a child with Abdul Razak have been proven to be untrue.
Some sources allege that Altantuya came to Kuala Lumpur with a cousin in early October 2006 intending to confront Abdul Razak. When she went missing on Oct 19, her cousin lodged a police report and sought help from the Mongolian embassy in Bangkok.
Malaysian police found fragments of bone, later verified as hers, in forested land near the Subang Dam in Puncak Alam, Shah Alam. Police investigation of her remains revealed that she was shot twice before C-4explosives were used on her remains, although there has been later suggestion that the C-4 explosives may have killed her. When her remains were found their identity could only be confirmed with DNA testing. The provenance of the C-4 remains unclear.
Abdul Razak and three members of the police force were arrested during the murder investigation. The two murder suspects have been named as Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, 30 and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, 35. They had been members of the elite Unit Tindakan Khas (the Malaysian Police Special Action Force or counter-terrorism unit) and were both assigned to the office of the Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who was also the Defence Minister at the time of the murder. Abdul Razak has been charged with abetment in the murder.
Altantuya’s brutal murder received wide, detailed coverage in Malaysia, Mongolia and other Asian countries.
The trial was originally going to be held in March 2007, but was postponed until the 4th of June 2007. Due to controversial and last-minute changes in the prosecution and defence teams, and the presiding judge, the trial was again postponed until 18 June 2007. The pre-trial preparations have seen both the prosecution and defence teams level accusations of evidential impropriety at one another.
During the trial there was an incident between Baginda’s wife and the victim’s father.
In a statutory declaration in his sedition trial in October 2008, Raja Petra accused Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor (the wife of Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak) of being one of three individuals who were present at the crime scene when Altantuya Shaariibuu was murdered on Oct 19, 2006. He wrote that wrote that Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, and Acting Colonel Aziz Buyong and his wife, Norhayati, Rosmah’s aide-de-camp, were present at the scene of the murder and that Aziz Buyong was the individual who placed C4 plastic explosive on Altantuya’s body and blew it up.A group of Mongolian officials specially tasked by their government to look into the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder will arrive in Malaysia in August.
"They have confirmed coming. It is only the date that not been fixed because Mongolia just had their elections and the new government has just been formed," Keadilan Daily reported PKR MP for Kelana Jaya Loh Gwo Burne as saying.
"I hope the case can be settled as soon as possible. It has already been a 6-year-wait for Altantuya's family but till now there is no closure. I am sure all of us in this country including the international community feel sympathy for her family."
Delay after delay
Altantuya's murder is one of Malaysia's most sensational cases and remains a mystery till this day. Most Malaysians and foreigners followeing the case believe that the master minds who ordered the 2 bodyguards to kill her are still at large.
According to Gwo Burne, despite appeals from Altanutuya's dad Setev Shaariibuu to the Malaysian government to speed up the judicial process, the Najib administration has done the opposite.
Indeed, the appeal of the two bodyguards - who were sentenced to hang in 2009 - has again been postponed to October 31 and November 1 from August 27 and 28.
Political links and the Scorpene connection
One of the bodyguards Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar even stated that he was paid RM100,000 to kill Altantuya, yet the Malaysian trial judge refused to discuss the issue of motive for the murder. Both the bodyguards had never met Altantuya before and did not have any tangible motive to kill her.
A third person, also with links to Najib, was controversially acquitted of having abetted the two cops in the murder. Razak Baginda, a close friend of Najib's and the chief negotiator for the Malaysian government's purchase of two Scorpene submarines, was discharged without his defence being called.
The decision raised eyebrows and spurred further talk that Altantuya was murdered because of her knowledge of the Scorpene deal, in which Najib has been accused of taking a 114 million euros or RM570 million bribe from French vendor DCNS to hammer through the purchase.
Scorpenes bribery trial ongoing in Paris
Altantuya's father too has said that his daughter came to Kuala Lumpur in 2006 to see Najib, to "discuss something" with him. Najib was then the deputy prime minister and targeting the top post. He could ill afford such a scandal and it was his aide-de-camp Musa Safri who asked the two cops to help Baginda stop Altantuya from blackmailing the latter.
Meanwhile, the government-controlled Malaysian media has done its best to destroy the link between Altantuya and the Scorpenes purchase despite the evidence accumulated by the French police.
"It is good that the Mongolian representatives are coming themselves to push the case forward. If it is left to the Malaysian government, even 5 years may not be enough to solve the case. As caring Malaysians, we should extend to them our full co-operation to seek justice for Altantuya," said Gwo-Burne.
Last rites and Malaysia's GE-13
Until the appeal of the two bodyguards is fully settled, Altantuya's ashes have to remain in the custody of the Malaysian courts. Her family, including her two young sons, are awaiting the return of her remains to conduct final rites. Given that her killers were sentenced 3 years ago in 2009, and she had been killed 6 years ago in 2006, their grouses appear justified.
Meanwhile, political observers and Opposition leaders doubt Najib will allow the appeal to be heard until after Malaysia completes its 13th general election.They expect another postponement.
Najib has until April 27, 2013 to dissolve Parliament although influential former premier Mahathir Mohamad has just hinted that polls were likely to be held after the Haj or pilgrimage season - which would make GE-13 most likely to be held in November.
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