SHAH ALAM, Jan 30 — The cousin of the slain Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu told the High Court today that the latter had been hired by Abdul Razak Baginda for translation services in Malaysia’s purchase of two military submarines.

Namiraa Gerelmaa, 35, testified that Altantuya had been engaged as a Russian to English translator for Abdul Razak, an ex-aide to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

"She said she was in a relationship with Razak Baginda and she wanted to meet him. She also told me that she had done some translation work for him and wanted to collect (payment) from him

"She told me that the Malaysian side, in her own words, was going to purchase submarines from the Russians and the meeting was held in France.

"She said that Razak Baginda wanted to translate English to Russian and vice versa for that meeting. She told there was an agreement,” she said during today’s hearing of the RM100 million civil suit filed by Altantuya’s family against Malaysian authorities.

Altantuya’s parents Shaariibuu Setev and Altantsetseg Sanjaa, and Altantuya’s two sons had on June 4, 2007 filed a civil lawsuit to claim compensation for the mental shock and psychological trauma they suffered over her death.

However, one of Altantuya’s two sons, 15-year-old Alatanshagai Munkhtukga, was removed as a plaintiff when he died in 2017.

In the lawsuit where Altantuya’s family is seeking RM100 million as compensation, Sirul Azhar Umar, Azilah Hadri, Abdul Razak and the government of Malaysia were named as defendants.

Namiraa later explained that Altantuya said she loved Abdul Razak and that he even planned to have a child with her.

"Altantuya told me that she first met Abdul Razak in Hong Kong and spent the night together. She (Altantuya) claimed that Abdul Razak had once introduced herself as his Mongolian wife to another lawyer.

"Altantuya said Abdul Razak even wanted to give her property,” she said, citing further that Altantuya even claimed that Abdul Razak managed to settle her visa application issues to the United Kingdom.

During his cross-examination, lawyer Manjeet Singh Dillion, who is representing Abdul Razak, suggested to Namiraa that Altantuya had a habit of exaggerating, to which she disagreed.