Mongolian Murder Gets Stickier for UMNO’s Leaders
Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim starts asking embarrassing questions about whether someone ordered elite police officers to shut up a jilted model
Questions over the spectacular murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaaribuu came closer to the very top of Malaysian politics Wednesday when opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim asked publicly who had ordered two police officers in Malaysia’s elite Special Operations Force to pick up Shaariibuu from the home of political advisor Abdul Razak Baginda. Abdul Razak was later charged with the woman’s murder along with the two policemen..
Abdul Razak has close ties to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who supervises the Special Operations Force, known by its Malay initials UTK. Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, 30, and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, 35, are the special operations officers charged in connection with the case. Police investigators, however, have denied that anybody was involved in the October 20 murder besides those who have already been arrested and charged.
That leaves the question of how two elite police officers became involved with a political analyst with no apparent government authority. The top leadership of the United Malays National Organisation, the dominant political party in Malaysia’s ruling national coalition, have been tiptoeing gingerly around the case ever since Abdul Razak Baginda was arrested in November.
The head of a think tank closely tied to UMNO’s top leadership, Abdul Razak was initially freed on bail in November after posting a highly unusual 1 million ringgit bond and pleading not guilty to abetting the gruesome murder of the beauty queen, whose baby he allegedly fathered and whose body was found in a patch of jungle near the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Shah Alam after she had reportedly been shot twice and torn apart with hand grenades available only to Malaysia’s security forces.
Anwar, a one-time deputy prime minister under then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad who was imprisoned in 1998 on spurious charges of corruption and sexual abuse after breaking politically with Mahathir, asked publicly why Najib has not been questioned about his connections to Abdul Razak and the two arrested policemen who worked for him. Anwar, who is seeking to resurrect his political career, is an advisor to the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) He was freed from prison by Mahathir’s successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
“In my personal experience,” Anwar told a press conference at his home, “the UTK are there to protect the deputy prime minister and they work under our instructions. He (Najib) should at least be asked how is it a person assigned to you, to protect you and work under your instructions, can (allegedly) commit such a heinous crime.”
Anwar told reporters that anyone deemed to have known the model or have other links with the murder should be questioned.
"It is vital that whilst those who pulled the trigger are brought to justice, all those who are responsible for directing the killing must be made known," he said in a statement read out at a news conference at his house. “In fact, such persons bear greater responsibility for the crime," he said.
A federal police spokesman told the Reuters news agency he had no immediate comment on Anwar's remarks. A government source said no one else has been questioned apart from the three accused and in fact government prosecutors have ruled out the possibility that anybody else is involved in the case other than Razak and the two policemen.
"Investigations reveal no one else's involvement in this case. Those responsible are in court today," deputy public prosecutor Salehuddin Saidin told the court during a pretrial motion last month.
Certainly, bail in a capital case is highly unusual. The two policemen were not allowed bail along with Razak, adding to public irritation in Malaysia that it was Razak's political ties that got him freed. The political analyst was ultimately jailed again after his bail extension was rejected by the High Court last Friday after his counsel, Wong Kian Kheong, failed to file a formal application. Applying again, Abdul Razak argued that he is in ill health and that he is not a flight risk.
"It's an absolute injustice," a Kuala Lumpur-based lawyer told Asia Sentinel in November. "This is a non-bailable offence." To Razak's plea that he was suffering from ill health, the lawyer replied: "Prisons have hospital facilities even if Razak is sick and in fact his sickness is not life-threatening and does not warrant bail. It is only athsma."
According to Section 388(1) of Malaysia's penal code, the lawyer quoted: "When any person accused of any non-bailable offence is accused or detained without warrant by a police officer or appears or is brought before the court he may be released by the officer in charge of the police district or by the court, but he shall not be so released if there appear reasonable grounds for believing that he has been guilty of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for
Shaaribuu, a part-time freelance model who according to her website had studied modeling in Paris, arrived in Kuala Lumpur from Mongolia on Oct. 6, reportedly intent on getting Razak to acknowledge his role as the father of her baby, according to press accounts, and asking for money. Accompanied by her sister and a cousin, Shaaribuu claimed that the baby was the product of a relationship she had with Razak when he visited Mongolia two years ago, telling others in Malaysia that the political analyst was her husband. Razak is divorced.
Initially, Razak was held for questioning along with three Malaysian police personnel including a woman detective from the SAF, which is used to guard VIPs and other dignitaries. The woman officer was released on bail Wednesday after her two colleagues were charged.
According to news reports, Shaaribuu found out where Razak lived, but she never got to see him. Police say she received a phone call to meet him but according to news reports she was pushed into a car and driven away, never to be seen again.
When she did not return to her hotel, the sister and cousin lodged reports with the police, and eventually with the Mongolian honorary consul. Mongolian authorities expressed their concern directly to the government.
Ultimately, a task force of 40 police officers was assembled to put together the circumstances that led the woman to visit Razak’s house, and whether he had summoned the police officers to take her away.
Local news reports also indicated that police were investigating where the model and Razak first met and whether they had had a sexual relationship. Musa Hassan, the inspector general of police, promised there would be no cover-up.
One of the most accessible and quotable of local analysts, Razak is not a politician but his think tank, the Malaysian Strategic Research Institute, functioned as an international propaganda vehicle for both UMNO and the Malaysian armed forces.
Razak, 46, who became head of the institute when it was set up in 1993, is endowed with charm, a command of language and easy access to power due to his connections with Najib. A prolific writer, he penned a book in praise of the Malaysian Armed Forces, published by them, and numerous other works including “Malaysia and the Islamic World,” a collection of essays he edited with a forward by Najib.
“Whoever is involved will be brought to book regardless of his stature,” Musa told reporters before charges were laid. “I am also going to find out how and who authorized the issuance of the explosives used in the murder.” But despite Musa’s statements, Internet bloggers in Malaysia have been having a field day with the case.
One, for instance, asked these questions: “What duty was (the chief inspector) assigned to at the time, to whom he reports to and from whom he takes instructions still remain a mystery and may be a key part of the chain. Whether he acted on his own or under directives, still remains unanswered. While the sordid details and the reasons and motives will probably only surface if the case ever goes to court, there is a list of unanswered questions. The most important question of course is: Why should a posse of police officers abduct an unknown foreign national in daylight and in public? Were they acting on a previously filed police report or were they merely acting on instructions? If it was the latter, who gave the instructions and for what reasons?
Razak’s lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, an equally well-connected Malay lawyer, earlier acknowledged that his client knew the victim, according to the Associated Press, but said he was certain he would be cleared.
“I am totally convinced of his innocence,” Shafee said after Razak was first remanded for questioning. “He is completely unimplicated."
Latest :
Malaysian political analyst refused bail over Mongolian model murder
A prominent Malaysian political analyst charged over the gruesome slaying of a Mongolian model was ordered to remain in jail Thursday when an appeals court rejected his bid for bail.
Abdul Razak Baginda is accused of abetting two policemen to murder Altantuya Shaariibuu, whose body was blown up with explosives. Her shattered remains were found in an isolated area near Kuala Lumpur last November.
Police have said the 28-year-old model was having an affair with Abdul Razak, who has high political connections, and that she was kidnapped from outside his home.
In December he was released on 1.0 million ringgit (274,348 dollars) bail after his lawyers argued he was ill and needed medical treatment.
Bail is rarely given in Malaysia for such serious offences, and the decision was attacked by lawyers for the family of the Mongolian woman.
The High Court on January 5 refused to extend the bail conditions and set a March 2008 trial date, but said it would hear a formal bail application on January 19.
The Court of Appeal on Thursday said it would not intervene before the High Court gives a final decision.
"This is a high-profile case, we have to be very careful about this," said presiding judge Mokhtar Sidin.
"When you want to apply for bail on an unbailable offence there must be a formal application," he said. "Give us grounds why he must be released on bail. Before us there is nothing."
Abdul Razak, who appeared dishevelled and unshaven, was allowed to speak with his lawyers and family before being sent back to jail. He broke down in tears as he hugged his wife and daughter.
The analyst, who is closely linked to senior politicians including deputy prime minister Najib Razak, faces the death penalty if found guilty.
Mongolia's government has said it will monitor the trial, and urged Malaysia to ensure it is transparent and free from political interference.
The two police officers, both from the elite Special Action Force, are accused of killing the woman on October 19 or 20 last year.
- AFP
Mongolian Murder Case - Was Najib Quizzed?
Quoted from Malaysiakini:
Malaysia Altantuya Sharibuu murder case
Questions over the spectacular murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaaribuu came closer to the very top of Malaysian politics Wednesday when opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim asked publicly who had ordered two police officers in Malaysia’s elite Special Operations Force to pick up Shaariibuu from the home of political advisor Abdul Razak Baginda. Abdul Razak was later charged with the woman’s murder along with the two policemen..
Abdul Razak has close ties to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who supervises the Special Operations Force, known by its Malay initials UTK. Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, 30, and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, 35, are the special operations officers charged in connection with the case. Police investigators, however, have denied that anybody was involved in the October 20 murder besides those who have already been arrested and charged.
That leaves the question of how two elite police officers became involved with a political analyst with no apparent government authority. The top leadership of the United Malays National Organisation, the dominant political party in Malaysia’s ruling national coalition, have been tiptoeing gingerly around the case ever since Abdul Razak Baginda was arrested in November.
The head of a think tank closely tied to UMNO’s top leadership, Abdul Razak was initially freed on bail in November after posting a highly unusual 1 million ringgit bond and pleading not guilty to abetting the gruesome murder of the beauty queen, whose baby he allegedly fathered and whose body was found in a patch of jungle near the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Shah Alam after she had reportedly been shot twice and torn apart with hand grenades available only to Malaysia’s security forces.
Anwar, a one-time deputy prime minister under then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad who was imprisoned in 1998 on spurious charges of corruption and sexual abuse after breaking politically with Mahathir, asked publicly why Najib has not been questioned about his connections to Abdul Razak and the two arrested policemen who worked for him. Anwar, who is seeking to resurrect his political career, is an advisor to the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) He was freed from prison by Mahathir’s successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
“In my personal experience,” Anwar told a press conference at his home, “the UTK are there to protect the deputy prime minister and they work under our instructions. He (Najib) should at least be asked how is it a person assigned to you, to protect you and work under your instructions, can (allegedly) commit such a heinous crime.”
Anwar told reporters that anyone deemed to have known the model or have other links with the murder should be questioned.
"It is vital that whilst those who pulled the trigger are brought to justice, all those who are responsible for directing the killing must be made known," he said in a statement read out at a news conference at his house. “In fact, such persons bear greater responsibility for the crime," he said.
A federal police spokesman told the Reuters news agency he had no immediate comment on Anwar's remarks. A government source said no one else has been questioned apart from the three accused and in fact government prosecutors have ruled out the possibility that anybody else is involved in the case other than Razak and the two policemen.
"Investigations reveal no one else's involvement in this case. Those responsible are in court today," deputy public prosecutor Salehuddin Saidin told the court during a pretrial motion last month.
Certainly, bail in a capital case is highly unusual. The two policemen were not allowed bail along with Razak, adding to public irritation in Malaysia that it was Razak's political ties that got him freed. The political analyst was ultimately jailed again after his bail extension was rejected by the High Court last Friday after his counsel, Wong Kian Kheong, failed to file a formal application. Applying again, Abdul Razak argued that he is in ill health and that he is not a flight risk.
"It's an absolute injustice," a Kuala Lumpur-based lawyer told Asia Sentinel in November. "This is a non-bailable offence." To Razak's plea that he was suffering from ill health, the lawyer replied: "Prisons have hospital facilities even if Razak is sick and in fact his sickness is not life-threatening and does not warrant bail. It is only athsma."
According to Section 388(1) of Malaysia's penal code, the lawyer quoted: "When any person accused of any non-bailable offence is accused or detained without warrant by a police officer or appears or is brought before the court he may be released by the officer in charge of the police district or by the court, but he shall not be so released if there appear reasonable grounds for believing that he has been guilty of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for
Shaaribuu, a part-time freelance model who according to her website had studied modeling in Paris, arrived in Kuala Lumpur from Mongolia on Oct. 6, reportedly intent on getting Razak to acknowledge his role as the father of her baby, according to press accounts, and asking for money. Accompanied by her sister and a cousin, Shaaribuu claimed that the baby was the product of a relationship she had with Razak when he visited Mongolia two years ago, telling others in Malaysia that the political analyst was her husband. Razak is divorced.
Initially, Razak was held for questioning along with three Malaysian police personnel including a woman detective from the SAF, which is used to guard VIPs and other dignitaries. The woman officer was released on bail Wednesday after her two colleagues were charged.
According to news reports, Shaaribuu found out where Razak lived, but she never got to see him. Police say she received a phone call to meet him but according to news reports she was pushed into a car and driven away, never to be seen again.
When she did not return to her hotel, the sister and cousin lodged reports with the police, and eventually with the Mongolian honorary consul. Mongolian authorities expressed their concern directly to the government.
Ultimately, a task force of 40 police officers was assembled to put together the circumstances that led the woman to visit Razak’s house, and whether he had summoned the police officers to take her away.
Local news reports also indicated that police were investigating where the model and Razak first met and whether they had had a sexual relationship. Musa Hassan, the inspector general of police, promised there would be no cover-up.
One of the most accessible and quotable of local analysts, Razak is not a politician but his think tank, the Malaysian Strategic Research Institute, functioned as an international propaganda vehicle for both UMNO and the Malaysian armed forces.
Razak, 46, who became head of the institute when it was set up in 1993, is endowed with charm, a command of language and easy access to power due to his connections with Najib. A prolific writer, he penned a book in praise of the Malaysian Armed Forces, published by them, and numerous other works including “Malaysia and the Islamic World,” a collection of essays he edited with a forward by Najib.
“Whoever is involved will be brought to book regardless of his stature,” Musa told reporters before charges were laid. “I am also going to find out how and who authorized the issuance of the explosives used in the murder.” But despite Musa’s statements, Internet bloggers in Malaysia have been having a field day with the case.
One, for instance, asked these questions: “What duty was (the chief inspector) assigned to at the time, to whom he reports to and from whom he takes instructions still remain a mystery and may be a key part of the chain. Whether he acted on his own or under directives, still remains unanswered. While the sordid details and the reasons and motives will probably only surface if the case ever goes to court, there is a list of unanswered questions. The most important question of course is: Why should a posse of police officers abduct an unknown foreign national in daylight and in public? Were they acting on a previously filed police report or were they merely acting on instructions? If it was the latter, who gave the instructions and for what reasons?
Razak’s lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, an equally well-connected Malay lawyer, earlier acknowledged that his client knew the victim, according to the Associated Press, but said he was certain he would be cleared.
“I am totally convinced of his innocence,” Shafee said after Razak was first remanded for questioning. “He is completely unimplicated."
Latest :
Malaysian political analyst refused bail over Mongolian model murder
A prominent Malaysian political analyst charged over the gruesome slaying of a Mongolian model was ordered to remain in jail Thursday when an appeals court rejected his bid for bail.
Abdul Razak Baginda is accused of abetting two policemen to murder Altantuya Shaariibuu, whose body was blown up with explosives. Her shattered remains were found in an isolated area near Kuala Lumpur last November.
Police have said the 28-year-old model was having an affair with Abdul Razak, who has high political connections, and that she was kidnapped from outside his home.
In December he was released on 1.0 million ringgit (274,348 dollars) bail after his lawyers argued he was ill and needed medical treatment.
Bail is rarely given in Malaysia for such serious offences, and the decision was attacked by lawyers for the family of the Mongolian woman.
The High Court on January 5 refused to extend the bail conditions and set a March 2008 trial date, but said it would hear a formal bail application on January 19.
The Court of Appeal on Thursday said it would not intervene before the High Court gives a final decision.
"This is a high-profile case, we have to be very careful about this," said presiding judge Mokhtar Sidin.
"When you want to apply for bail on an unbailable offence there must be a formal application," he said. "Give us grounds why he must be released on bail. Before us there is nothing."
Abdul Razak, who appeared dishevelled and unshaven, was allowed to speak with his lawyers and family before being sent back to jail. He broke down in tears as he hugged his wife and daughter.
The analyst, who is closely linked to senior politicians including deputy prime minister Najib Razak, faces the death penalty if found guilty.
Mongolia's government has said it will monitor the trial, and urged Malaysia to ensure it is transparent and free from political interference.
The two police officers, both from the elite Special Action Force, are accused of killing the woman on October 19 or 20 last year.
- AFP
Mongolian Murder Case - Was Najib Quizzed?
Quoted from Malaysiakini:
Was Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak questioned over the gruesome murder of 28-year-old Mongolian beauty Altantunya Sharibu?This question was posed by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser and former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.
Speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today, he said Najib should be quizzed by the police due to the existence of connecting factors.
He said investigations into the murder had raised more questions than answers.
He was referring to the two Special Operations Force (UTK) officers - Chief Insp Azilah Hadri, 30, and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, 35, charged in connection with the case.
According to Anwar, UTK officers were assigned to the deputy premier’s office.
“In my personal experience, the UTK are there to protect the DPM and they work under our instructions. He (Najib) should at least be asked how is it a person assigned to you, to protect you and work under your instructions, can (allegedly) commit such a heinous crime.
“He needs to cooperate with the investigations […] and must be questioned. We are not inferring that he is in the know or gave the instructions,” he added.
Also charged in abetting the murder is renowned political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, who heads a think-tank linked to Najib.
All three suspects face the death sentence if found guilty.
Submarine deal
Meanwhile, Anwar also raised the issue of the government’s purchase of two Scorpene submarines and an Agosta submarine from France in a deal costing nearly RM4.6 billion.
Last December, the Defence Ministry denied having paid a Malaysian-owned company US$100 million (RM370 million) as a commission for a multi-billion ringgit deal involving submarines.
The company, Perimekar, is owned by Ombak Laut which is co-owned by Abdul Razak.
“I don’t want to make guesses. Najib must be questioned because both cases involve him as DPM.
“He must be questioned on both counts whether is it true Altantuya was only known to Razak Baginda and not to him, and does he only know about the murder after the report of the disappearance of this girl,” he said.
Prosecutor taken to task
Anwar also took to task the statements made by deputy public prosecutor Salehuddin Saidin in the Shah Alam High Court that there is no involvement of any other parties in the murder case.
“This is unbecoming of the prosecution … clearly irresponsible, not transparent with malicious intent to condemn the junior police officers.
“Here comes the prosecutor saying nobody else is involved. It’s too early to say. Who are these prosecutors getting instructions from?” he added.
Altantuya was shot dead and her body was blown up with explosives in secondary forest of Empangan Tasik Subang in Selangor. Her remains were discovered last October.
The murder trial will be heard at the Shah Alam High Court on March 10 next year. Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal will hear Razak Baginda’s appeal on his bail application tomorrow.
Razak Baginda was send to Sungai Buloh prison last Friday after the High Court dismissed his oral application to extend his RM1 million bail.
January 10th 2007
Lim Kit Siang said :
Altantunya murder - Abdullah should order full investigations
Malaysia Altantuya Sharibuu murder case
Labels: Malaysia news and opinion
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