At last, almost a decade after the
high-profile case of slain Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, the
faces of the two ex-police officers convicted for her murder have been
revealed.
Malaysiakini has today obtained a copy of their photographs, courtesy of the Bukit Aman police headquarters.
From
the commencement of the trial right up to the conclusion of the final
appeal at the Federal Court, former chief inspector Azilah Hadri (left) and corporal Sirul Azhar Umar had remained a mystery.
The pair, once attached with the elite special operations force, arrived and exited the various court buildings with their faces covered with hooded jackets.
On Tuesday, the Federal Court upheld the prosecution’s appeal and slapped the two with a death sentence.
Previously, the Court of Appeal had acquitted them after reversing the High Court’s guilty verdict.
While Azilah, 38, appeared in court with his face covered as usual, Sirul, however, was absent.
It was later revealed that Sirul, 43, is currently in Australia and the police are now tracking him down after the apex court issued a warrant of arrest.
No motive
According to reports, Sirul (right) has been overseas for the past two months and could not afford to return home.
During the trial at the Shah Alam High Court, Sirul set tongues wagging when he claimed to have been made a "scapegoat" to “cover up their plans”.
His lawyer had also suggested that his client could have been framed.
This statement fired up the conspiracy mills since the murder case had been linked to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who was then deputy prime minister and also in charge of the defence portfolio.
His close associate Abdul Razak Baginda, who admitted to having an affair with Altantuya, was initially charged with abetment but later discharged without his defence being called.
The case was also linked to Malaysia’s procurement of two French submarines, which Abdul Razak’s firm was tasked to purchase and maintain.
The police have cleared Najib of any wrongdoing, but the issue continues to remain a powerful weapon in the opposition’s arsenal.
Apart from this, the courts also did not establish a motive as to why the two ex-police officers would want to kill and blow up Altantuya with explosives.
Malaysiakini has today obtained a copy of their photographs, courtesy of the Bukit Aman police headquarters.
From
the commencement of the trial right up to the conclusion of the final
appeal at the Federal Court, former chief inspector Azilah Hadri (left) and corporal Sirul Azhar Umar had remained a mystery.The pair, once attached with the elite special operations force, arrived and exited the various court buildings with their faces covered with hooded jackets.
On Tuesday, the Federal Court upheld the prosecution’s appeal and slapped the two with a death sentence.
Previously, the Court of Appeal had acquitted them after reversing the High Court’s guilty verdict.
While Azilah, 38, appeared in court with his face covered as usual, Sirul, however, was absent.
It was later revealed that Sirul, 43, is currently in Australia and the police are now tracking him down after the apex court issued a warrant of arrest.
No motive
According to reports, Sirul (right) has been overseas for the past two months and could not afford to return home.During the trial at the Shah Alam High Court, Sirul set tongues wagging when he claimed to have been made a "scapegoat" to “cover up their plans”.
His lawyer had also suggested that his client could have been framed.
This statement fired up the conspiracy mills since the murder case had been linked to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who was then deputy prime minister and also in charge of the defence portfolio.
His close associate Abdul Razak Baginda, who admitted to having an affair with Altantuya, was initially charged with abetment but later discharged without his defence being called.
The case was also linked to Malaysia’s procurement of two French submarines, which Abdul Razak’s firm was tasked to purchase and maintain.
The police have cleared Najib of any wrongdoing, but the issue continues to remain a powerful weapon in the opposition’s arsenal.
Apart from this, the courts also did not establish a motive as to why the two ex-police officers would want to kill and blow up Altantuya with explosives.
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