SHAH ALAM: Altantuya Shaariibuu’s father today questioned the integrity of a former honorary consul of Mongolia to Malaysia, who acted as a liaison officer between the family and the authorities here.
Shaariibuu Setev said his doubts about Syed Abdul Rahman Alhabshi were based on several incidents that took place over the course of his dealings with the latter in his daughter’s murder investigation.
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| Shaariibuu Setev says the court in his daughter’s murder trial delivered a judgment, but not justice. |
On Aug 29, 2008, he said, Syed Abdul Rahman sent an email to the Mongolian foreign affairs ministry stating that he was a member of the then-ruling party and seeking to dismiss all speculation of the involvement of Najib Razak, who was deputy prime minister at the time.
In his witness statement today, Shaariibuu said the email was translated for him by a Mongolian lawyer after a ministry official, Ganbold D, provided him with a copy.
He also claimed Syed Abdul Rahman had invited him to his home in Kuala Lumpur, where he showed him a large photo of himself with Najib soon after the acquittal of Abdul Razak Baginda for abetment in Altantuya’s murder.
“He told me that they (Syed Abdul Rahman and Najib) were good friends,” Shaariibuu told the High Court when examined by lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo.
Shaariibuu, a retired professor, said Syed Abdul Rahman had also insisted that he hand over records of Altantuya’s flight tickets and bank statements as well as several photographs of her.
“I was under the impression that they were to be used for the criminal trial,” he added. “I do not know whether all those documents were sent to the relevant authorities or used in the trial.”
Shaariibuu said he had also discovered that Syed Abdul Raman and a Mongolian ministry official known as Aruinbold were working against the interest of him and his family.
“Aruinbold organised an exhibition,” he said, but did not provide further details in his testimony.
Shaariibuu said he had asked the ministry to remove Syed Abdul Raman from his position, which was later done.
He said he had been surprised at the court decision to convict policemen Sirul Azhar Umar and Azilah Hadri of Altantuya’s murder as neither knew his daughter or had reason to kill her.
He said the prosecution had also refused to appeal against Razak’s acquittal without defence being called.
“My counsel (the late Karpal Singh) filed a judicial review, but the application was dismissed and we did not appeal to the Court of Appeal,” he added.
Shaariibuu said he felt that his testimony was brief, and that the parties involved had asked him very limited questions during the criminal trial.
He filed the civil suit in the hope of getting justice, he added.
“The criminal trial delivered a judgment, but not justice. I seek answers from this honourable court,” he said. “I believe the defendants caused the unlawful killing of my daughter.”
Altantuya was murdered in 2006 in the jungles in Puncak Alam near Shah Alam, Selangor. She was shot in the head before her body was blown up with explosives.
Sirul and Azilah, who were Najib’s personal bodyguards, were found guilty and sentenced to death for her murder by the Federal Court in February 2015.
Razak, who was an aide to Najib, was charged with abetting the duo but later acquitted without his defence being called.
Shaariibuu, his wife Altantsetseg Sanjaa, and Altantuya’s son Mungunshagai have named Razak, the government, Sirul and Azilah as defendants in their suit.
They allege that there was a conspiracy in Altantuya’s murder, and are seeking RM100 million in damages including dependency claims.
By V Anbalagan
www.freemalaysiatoday.com
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