Govt did not request for Sirul to be extradited back to M'sia: Tun M (Updated)

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has refuted claims that the government has requested its Australian counterpart for the extradition of Sirul Azhar Umar.
Mahathir said the possibility of Sirul returning to the country is unlikely unless the latter's death sentence for murdering Mongolian model Altantuya Sharibuu is commuted to life imprisonment instead.
"No, we have not made any discussions yet with the Australian government.
"I am getting this from you (reporters) for the first time," he told reporters after chairing the cabinet committee on the integrity of government management (JKKMKPK) meeting at Putra Perdana, here, today.
He was responding to an earlier news report by UK daily The Guardian that Malaysia is negotiating with Australia to extradite Sirul.
However, Mahathir said in an effort to extradite him back to the country, the government will be seeking to commute Sirul's sentence from death to jail.
"If he fears that other people might kill him, he has a choice of not coming back," he said in response to Sirul's assertions that his life might be in danger should he return to the country.
Mahathir also said that the government is open to reopening the 2006 murder case of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu whose body was destroyed with C-4 explosives, by Sirul and another former police officer Azilah Hadri.
"We have been asked to look into it and we are looking into it," he added.
Meanwhile, Mahathir confirmed that the government is trying to arrest Penang-born billionaire Low Taek Jho better known as Jho Low over his involvement in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.
However, Mahathir said investigators are unable to move forward as Jho Low is presently in a country with which Malaysia has no extradition treaty.
"They have investigated his involvement in 1MDB and it is on those grounds he will be arrested," he said.
When asked on Jho Low's current whereabouts, Mahathir responded by saying that the former "is in many countries".