KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak should say if he supports fresh investigations into the 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, DAP’s Lim Kit Siang said today.
The Iskandar Puteri MP said this was the only viable response to the growing suspicion of a massive cover-up of the matter under the Barisan Nasional administration.
Lim also said this was especially since Najib appeared to agree that the sumpah laknat he will perform this afternoon could be countered if his accuser, former police commando Azilah Hadri, underwent the same rite.
“Najib’s counsel, Mohammad Shafee Abdullah has said that Najib wants the police to reinvestigate the Altantuya murder case.
“Can Najib confirm this and let the reinvestigation of the Altantuya murder to begin without any other drama,” Lim said in a statement today.
In 2009, Azilah and another ex-commando, Sirul Azhar Umar, were found guilty of murdering Altantuya in 2006 but were released in 2013 on appeal. The Federal Court upheld their conviction in 2015 and reinstated their death sentence.
Azilah has now made a statutory declaration that Najib ordered him directly to kill Altantuya; the SD was included in his application for the Federal Court to review its 2015 ruling.
Najib said on Wednesday he will perform the sumpah laknat today to deny Azilah’s statutory declaration that the ex-prime minister told him directly to kill the Mongolian in 2006.
The sumpah laknat is a religious rite that Muslims perform to depict innocence, in which they deny the allegations against them while simultaneously seeking divine retribution on their accusers.
It has no legal significance here and its function is limited to affecting public opinion.
