SHAH ALAM, Jan 24 ― The cousin of slain Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu has clarified that the photo of two men and the deceased, which was shown to her in court yesterday, is fake.
Testifying as the first witness in the model’s family’s RM100 million civil lawsuit against the Malaysian government, Burmaa Oyunchimeg told the court today that the photo was similar to the one Altantuya showed her from her trip to Paris with Abdul Razak Baginda after she returned to Mongolia in March 2005.
“When I say exact, it's the two same men in exactly the same position including my cousin Altantuya,” she said when examined by the plaintiff’s lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo over her testimony in court yesterday.
Burmaa had yesterday said: “I want to say that this is exactly the picture she showed me but the girl in this copy is not Altantuya. That one I saw had her in it.”.
Burmaa had also testified that Altantuya told her one of the man was the deputy prime minister named “Razak” and the other was Abdul Razak who worked with him and do business together.
Abdul Razak was a political analyst and had headed a think tank called the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre based in Kuala Lumpur previously.
He was also an adviser to Datuk Seri Najib Razak when the latter was defence minister (2000 to 2008) and deputy prime minister (between January 2004 and April 2009) before taking over as prime minister from April 3, 2009 to May last year.
Najib has repeatedly denied knowing Altantuya or that he had any part in her death.
Lawyer Manjeet Singh Dhillon, who is appearing for Abdul Razak, pointed out today that there were erroneous reports about the photo being circulated on social media.
He said the photo shown in court was mistakenly equated to the photo of the three people shown by Altantuya to Burmaa when both returned to Mongolia in 2005.
Cross-examined by Manjeet, Burmaa insisted she definitely knew how Razak Baginda looked like after the lawyer raised discrepancies in her witness statement.
Manjeet: You knew what he looked like?
Burmaa: Absolutely. Hundred per cent.
Manjeet: Did you ask your cousin who they were in the picture?
Burmaa: Maybe there was a mistake in my statement but I know Razak Baginda.
Manjeet: You already know the mistake.
Burmaa: Yes.
Manjeet: You are lying in this court.
Burmaa: I am under oath.
Manjeet: Did you ask her who are these people in the picture?
Burmaa: Yes.
Manjeet pointed out that Burmaa was acquainted for some time with Abdul Razak after meeting him on several occasions since 2004 but had queried about the men's identity in the photo.
“You meant to say you did not recognise both of them? (Najib and Abdul Razak)?” Manjeet badgered her.
Burmaa replied that she was “mistaken” and only meant that she did not recognise the other person (Najib).
“I am not mistaken when I saw Razak Baginda,” she said.
She had yesterday testified that Altantuya had identified the second man in the photo as the “deputy prime minister”.
She also said the woman shown in the picture was not her cousin and that she was someone else.
Cross-examined further today, Burmaa said the photo was the “worst” Photoshop she has ever seen and the original photo shown showed all three people smiling.
“I was told by Mr Ang that the photo is with Altantuya (when she came to Malaysia in October 2006).
“Mr Ang said he saw the photo too,” she said, referring to Ang Chong Beng, another private investigator hired by Altantuya.
On another matter, Burmaa said she had sent a final text message to the late private investigator P. Balasubramaniam when she was in Hong Kong in October 2006 following Altantuya's disappearance and she needed help locating her whereabouts.
She said, “You sick f****rs. Listen to me carefully. I'm going to call his (Abdul Razak) wife and report to the Mongolian consulate in Malaysia. You chickens**** are in big problem. I'll do my best I promise.”
In her testimony, Burmaa had said Balasubramaniam repeatedly told her Altantuya had left with a taxi and nothing more after her cousin had gone alone to Razak’s house.
Asked by Manjeet if she normally wrote that way, Burmaa said the outburst was due to her anger and that people get angry all the time.
The hearing resumes tomorrow morning with the testimonial hearing of Altantuya’s father Shaariibuu Setev.
Altantuya’s parents Shaariibuu and Altantsetseg Sanjaa, and Altantuya’s two sons had on June 4, 2007 filed the 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 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.
Sirul and Azilah were convicted by the High Court in 2009 of killing Altantuya. They succeeded in overturning their conviction at the Court of Appeal in 2013, but the Federal Court in 2015 restored their conviction and sentenced them to death.
Abdul Razak who was accused of abetting the two former police officers in her murder was acquitted.
Sirul had escaped to Australia after the death sentence and is currently under detention there as Australian laws do not allow extradition of anyone to a country where they will be killed. Azilah is on death row here.
