Authorities should reopen investigations in Altantuya murder

GEORGE TOWN: Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh has called on the authorities to reopen the investigations into the murder of Mongolian national
Altantuya Shaariibuu.
He said it was necessary for investigations into the sensational murder to be re-opened immediately in view of the many issues which remain unresolved.
"The new Pakatan Harapan (PH) government must, as a matter of urgency, take the necessary steps to investigate the motive behind the murder of Altantuya which remains one of the world's great mysteries.
"It is shocking that the prosecution did not pursue the lead evidence during the trial in relation to who ordered the two police officers to murder Altantuya, particularly when it was clear that they did not even know her and certainly had no reason to do so on their own.
"Furthermore, the fact that C4 explosives, which are only available from the Ministry of Defence, were used to blow up her body has fueled speculation that her murder may have been ordered by parties connected to the government," he said in referring to the two police commando officers - Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar.
Ramkarpal said that since a final judgment has been pronounced in the murder trial, it is not possible to re-try the officers who were earlier convicted for murder, and are currently on death row.
"I call upon the Prime Minister to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to convene a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to determine who ordered Altantuya's murder," he said, adding that the findings of the RCI in this regard can form the basis of a subsequent charge against those who ordered Altantuya's murder.
"If it is found from the investigations that certain parties instructed Azilah and Sirul to murder Altantuya, those parties must be charged for her murder as well as for having shared a common intention with Azilah and Sirul to murder her even though they did not pull the trigger," he said.
Ramkarpal also said that he had, on numerous occasions, enquired in Parliament about the legal status of the extradition of Sirul from Australia over the past three years.
"(I was) told by the (former) Home Ministry that the government was looking into the matter which had to be thoroughly studied as the said extradition process was a complicated one.

"Such an explanation raises suspicion that the then Barisan Nasional government deliberately did not want to extradite Sirul as he might be in possession of information which might implicate certain parties," he said.