PAS sorting out visa for Sirul's mum

PAS is in the process of sorting out the visa application for Piah Samad so that she can visit her son, former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar, in Australia.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, party information chief Mahfuz Omar said Piah’s international passport is ready and they are now looking into purchasing the flight ticket.

"I will inform you (the media) when the process is ready. It is almost finished," he added.

Besides this, Mahfuz (left) said, he too has contacted Sirul, who is currently being held at an Immigration and Border Protection Department facility in Sydney, several times via the phone.

He added that it was up to Sirul whether he wants to reveal who ordered him and another former police commando Azilah Hadri to kill Altantuya Shaariibuu.

“I have contacted Sirul a couple of times. Sometimes I called and at times I would send him a text message. I only talked about his mother. He (Sirul) thanked PAS and me for helping him to inquire about his mother's welfare and also asking about his (Sirul's) own welfare.

Warrant of arrest

“I do not want to talk about his case as I do not want to be seen to be taking advantage of the situation. As far as I am concerned, it is up to Sirul whether he wants to reveal anything or not.

"It must come from his own heart, whether to reveal what truly transpired and who is behind his actions which resulted in him facing the death sentence,” Mahfuz said.

It was previously reported that PAS had intended to bring Piah to Australia to meet her son, who is being detained inSydney.

The last time Piah met her 43-year-old son was after Sirul, who is the fourth in the family of five children, was acquitted by the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya of the murder.

Last Jan 13, Azilah and Sirul were convicted with Altantuya's murder and were sentenced to death after the Federal Court reversed the Court of Appeal's decision.

Sirul was already in Australia at the time and a warrant of arrest was issued following the Federal Court verdict. Malaysian police sought Interpol's help and Sirul's name was placed on the wanted list or 'Red Notice'.

Spill the beans

However, following the outlawing of capital punishment by Australia, the country does not permit any person to be extradited to his or her home country if that person has been sentenced to death there.

Sirul, in an exclusive telephone conversation with Malaysiakini, said he was prepared to spill the beans on the biggest question as to the motive of the Altantuya murder.

He maintained that he and Azilah had only acted under instructions.

 

Sirul's right to tell all, says Hisham

It is murder convict Sirul Azhar Umar's right if he wants to reveal all on Altantuya Shaariibuu's murder, Defence Minister and Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein said today.

 

"That's his right," Hishammuddin told reporters in a press conference today.

 

However, he refused to say anything more on the matter.

 

"I do not know what is he is going to say, so how can I say anything?" he said.

Sirul, who has been detained by the immigration authorities in Australia after fleeing Malaysia before the judgment on his case by delivered by the Federal Court, told Malaysiakini he is mulling a tell-all interview with the Australian media.

Hishamuddin also said that he would be unable to tell if Sirul's revelations would be good for the government until Sirul actually revealed what he was threatening to reveal.

Murder motive to be exposed?

On Jan 13, Sirul and another former police commando Azilah Hadri, were convicted of Altantuya's murder and sentenced to death after the Federal Court reversed the Court of Appeal's decision.

Sirul was already in Australia at the time and a warrant of arrest was issued following the Federal Court verdict. Malaysian police sought Interpol's help and Sirul's name was placed on the wanted list or 'Red Notice'.

However, following the outlawing of capital punishment by Australia, that country does not permit any person to be extradited to his or her home country if that person has been sentenced to death there.

Sirul, in his exclusive telephone conversation with Malaysiakini, said he was prepared to spill the beans on the biggest question as to the motive for the Altantuya murder.


 

Hunt them down, lawyer demands

The police should re-open their investigations into the gruesome murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu following the recent revelations made by convicted murderer Sirul Azhar Umar.

Ramkarpal Singh, who is also a lawyer for the family of the slain Mongolian, said it is the duty of the police to re-open the investigations, especially in light of Sirul's expose.

The new probe should focus on who instructed the two police commandos to kill Altantuya, Ramkarpal said, given Sirul's revelation that he was under orders and the people with the motive to murder are free.

"These are no ordinary revelations that can be ignored. The people have the right to know who directed the assassination," he said in a statement.

Sirul and Azilah Hadri were sentenced to death by the Federal Court for killing Altantuya, despite the motive for the murder not having been established.

Ramkarpal (right), who is also Bukit Gelugor MP, described the murder as the most gruesome and highly publicised, and claimed it was a fact that Sirul did not even know Altantuya.

“Having been convicted by the Federal Court recently, both Sirul and Azilah seem to be at the centre of a much larger scenario, which forms the narrative of this murder,” he said.

“Although the Federal Court found the duo guilty, beyond reasonable doubt, for the murder of Altantuya, the matter does not come to an end as a result of the said conviction if evidence subsequently emerges implicating others, such as in this case.”

'Public interest warrants case be re-opened'

Ramkarpal noted that there was also a civil suit pending against Azilah, Sirul, political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and the government as defendants, as such revelations by Sirul would certainly be relevant to the this matter.

The High Court in Shah Alam has fixed March 13 for the case management of this matter, following the conclusion of the criminal case last month after the matter remained in imbroglio after having been filed in 2007.

Ramkarpal said recently that Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar had stated that the question of motive behind the murder was a non-issue, since the same court had not established it, and it was not for the police to investigate the matter.

“The IGP could not have been wrong (in this),” he said.

“I call upon the IGP to initiate fresh investigations into the matter forthwith in the public interests,” the lawyer reiterated.

Khalid told reporters today that the police would not re-open the investigation into the matter unless Sirul gives new information about the case.

Sirul's mother Piah Samad is also preparing to go to Australia to meet with her son, who is being detained at the Villawood Detention facility in Sydney.

 

IGP: No new Altantuya probe unless Sirul talks

 

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The police do not intend to re-open investigations into the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder unless convicted former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar divulges new information regarding the case.

"We do not see any reason to conduct a new probe into the case because of instigation of certain parties.

"We will see first what he (Sirul, right) will reveal," Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said at a press conference today.

The police chief was referring to the Malaysiakini report that Sirul is considering disclosing more details on the grisly murder to the media in Australia, where he is currently being detained pending possible extradition to Malaysia.

'Self-seeking' parties

A few Australian television stations have already contacted Sirul who is currently being held by immigration authorities in Sydney.

Meanwhile, Khalid said it was it was "illogical" for Sirul to reveal new information about the case now when he had refused to disclose such information when the investigation was on-going before.

"Why does he want to talk about all this only now?

"When he did not say anything the last time, why does he want to bring up new things on the case only now," Khalid questioned.

Khalid also suspected "self-seeking parties" of trying to sway Sirul into stating erroneous facts about the case for their own gain.

"I am worried that certain self-seeking parties are trying to instigate him with misinformation as they know that he is in Australia and the government there will not send him back.

"I am worried this (revealing of information) is only for the importance of certain parties," he said.


 

Sirul: I did as told, and this is what I get

EXCLUSIVE Former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar is vexed for being handed the death sentence for following a directive.

"If I die today, I would not find peace. I did what I was told and this is what I get in return," he told Malaysiakini in a recent telephone conversation from Australia.

However, he did not state if this was an admission of guilt on his part.

Sirul, who was convicted together with another former police commando Chief Azilah Hadri for the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006, is also dissatisfied with the country's legal system.
                                                            
He felt that his former superior Deputy Superintendent Musa Safri should have been put on the witness stand by the prosecution. The latter was the former aide de camp of Najib Abdul Razak, who was then deputy prime minister and defence minister.

The Court of Appeal had in 2013 acquitted Azilah and Sirul as a result of a serious misdirection by the Shah Alam High Court. And this included the non-calling of Musa by the trial judge, Justice Mohd Zaki Yasin.

However, Sirul lamented that the Federal Court, which last month upheld the prosecution's appeal, had disregarded this.

"The court also ignored the questionable DNA evidence on the bloodstain found on a shoe placed in my car, as well as my own DNA sample.

"The court ignored this despite the strong submissions made by my lawyers," he added.

The prosecution team, led by deputy solicitor-general I Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah, had argued that Musa was not a key witness in the trial and hence there was no need to call him.

However, Sirul's lawyers, Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin and Hasnal Rezua Merican, submitted that the non-calling of Musa constituted a mistrial.

On the DNA evidence, the chemist had testified that there was a possibility the DNA from the bloodstain could be from Altantuya despite the doubts cast.

Motive not established

Sirul also reiterated his previous remark during the trial that he was made a "scapegoat" in the grisly murder, where Altantuya was shot in the head and her remains blown up with military-grade explosives.

He was also distressed by political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda's claim in an interview last month that "rogue policemen" were responsible for Altantuya's death in 2006.

Razak Baginda (left), a close associate of Najib, was charged with abetting in the murder but was later freed without his defence being called.

Yesterday, Malaysiakini reported Sirul claiming that he acted under orders and had no prior knowledge of both Altantuya and Razak Baginda.

He is also considering, after being approached by several Australian media, accepting interviews to reveal all on the murder.

Since the case was first heard in 2007 by the High Court sitting in Shah Alam, and up to the decision by the Federal Court on Feb 10, the murder motive was never established.

Sirul was absent when the Federal Court revealed its verdict, and news later emerged that he was in Australia.

The 43-year-old father of two is currently being held at the Immigration and Border Protection Department's facility in Sydney.

According to Sirul, he is well treated by the Australian authorities and he is staying alone in a room, with four beds, at the detention camp.

He said he is allowed to use his mobile phone and has access to the Internet.

Asked what prompted him to flee to Australia, Sirul said he had a premonition that he would be convicted.