Najib rubbishes claim Sirul acted under orders to kill Altantuya
BY ELIZABETH ZACHARIAH
Published: 19 February 2015 11:09 AM
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak (right) and MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (centre) are mobbed by well-wishers as they enter Wisma MCA today. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, February 19, 2015.Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today rubbished claims by former police commando Sirul Azhar Omar that he was under orders to commit the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Speaking to reporters after attending the Chinese New Year open house at Wisma MCA today, Najib, who was linked to the Mongolian model previously, refused to elaborate further.
"It's total rubbish, total rubbish," he said, shaking his head.
On Tuesday, Sirul, who has been detained in Australia, had said he was under orders to kill Altantuya, and that the "real" murderers are still free.
"I was under orders. The important people with motive are still free," he was reported to have told Malaysiakini in an interview.
Yesterday, Sirul was reported to have said that his superior officer, then deputy superintendent Musa Safri, should have been called to give evidence in the Altantuya murder trial.
At the time of the murder, Musa was also the aide de camp of Najib, who was then the deputy prime minister.
"He should have been put on the witness stand by the prosecution," Malaysiakini quoted Sirul as saying in an exclusive report.
The 43-year-old also told Malaysiakini that he never knew Altantuya or even Abdul Razak Baginda – the political analyst and a close associate of Najib – who was acquitted with abetting the Mongolian's murder.
Altantuya's father Dr Setev Shaariibuu had previously claimed that his daughter had come to Malaysia specifically to meet with Najib.
The Court of Appeal in 2013 acquitted Sirul and Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, saying there was serious misdirection by trial judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Yasin including by not calling Musa.
The three-man appellate court said the failure to put Musa on the witness stand was important to the prosecution to unfold the narrative of its case.
On January 13, a five-man Federal Court bench led by Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria sentenced the men to be hanged, overturning the Court of Appeal's decision. – February 19, 2015.
All smiles at the MCA Chinese New Year open house at Wisma MCA as PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak (centre), flanked by MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and Datin Rosmah Mansor, joins in wishing everyone Gong Xi Fa Cai. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, February 19, 2015.
