KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 — Ex-police commandos Sirul Azhar Umar and Azilah Hadri will not contest the RM100 million suit filed by Setev Shaariibuu, father to murdered Mongolian Altantuya.
While both men have since been sentenced to hang, lawyers for both Sirul and Azilah, Datuk Kamarul Hisham and Datuk Hazman Ahmad, said that they have yet to receive word from their clients on the civil suit, according to reports by The Malaysian Insider.
"I have written to the legal firm (Karpal & Co) to inform them that I have no instructions to act for Azilah," Hazman was quoted as saying, while Kamarul echoed a similar sentiment when asked if he would enter defence in the suit filed by Setev.
Sirul and another police commando with the rank of chief inspector, Azilah Hadri, were charged with murdering Altantuya in 2006 and convicted by the High Court in 2009.
They were freed after the appellate court acquitted them in 2013, but the Federal Court reversed the acquittal last January and sent them back to hang, marking the end to the eight-year saga.
Sirul was a no-show during the Federal Court hearing and it was later revealed that he is in Australia.
Malaysia has been seeking to extradite him home to face his sentencing, but he remains in Sydney as Australia’s laws forbid its government from sending criminals to countries that have the death penalty.
