KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 24 — The police should call upon former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to give a statement if the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case is reopened, said DAP Legal Bureau Chairman Ramkarpal Singh.
He said that he welcomed Attorney General (AG) Tan Sri Tommy Thomas’ decision to reconsider reopening the 2006 case and wants the police under the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador to make sure that Najib will have to participate in the probe as the Statutory Declaration (SD) by former policeman and convicted murderer Azilah Hadri last week claimed that Najib directed him to murder the Mongolian model.
“It is elementary that Najib must be summoned to give his statement to assist in the said investigations. I cannot see how the truth or falsity of Azilah’s claims in his said SD can be verified without summoning Najib for the said purpose.
“As the police will eventually submit the findings of their investigations to the AG, I urge the AG to ensure that a statement is taken from Najib by directing the same if the IGP fails to do so,” he said in a statement today.
Ramkarpal, who is MP for Bukit Gelugor and a prominent lawyer, highlighted that throughout the murder trial, the question of who ordered the murder was never raised nor was the motive of the said murder revealed from the charge to the case decision in the Federal Court in 2015.
“I have said before that the mystery of who ordered the murder of Altantuya must be resolved and it would certainly be one of, if not the greatest, achievement of Tommy (Thomas) if this is accomplished during his tenure as AG,” he said.
Azilah was Najib’s bodyguard at the time from the special action force (UTK) of the police.
Altantuya was murdered in October 2006 and her remains blown up with military-grade explosives in a remote area near Shah Alam.
Azilah and his UTK colleague Sirul Azhar Umar were found guilty and sentenced to death in April 2009.
The Court of Appeal overturned their conviction in August 2013 but the guilty verdict was reinstated by the Federal Court in January 2015.
However, prior to the Federal Court reversing the Court of Appeal’s decision, Sirul had fled to Australia and is now in an immigration detention centre there.
With the SD, Azilah is now applying to the Federal Court for a review of the court’s decision which found him guilty of murder.
Najib yesterday also said that he is ready to be probed for the murder after performing a sumpah laknat denying he ordered the murder of Altantuya on last Friday.
Abdul Hamid yesterday said the police have summoned a few witnesses to assist the investigation.
He said the police are not silent on any case that affects the issue of security and will take action accordingly.
