WE are issuing this statement on behalf of our client, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Hj. Abdul Razak, in response to the allegations raised by Mr. Sirul Azhar Umar in an interview, aired on Al Jazeera’s 101 East programme by Mary Ann Jolley, concerning the 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.
We wish to reiterate that our client, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Hj. Abdul Razak has been conclusively exonerated of any involvement in this case. This exoneration has been affirmed by relevant authorities, including investigations restarted post GE14 (2018) and a reaffirmation by the High Court, Court of Appeal, and ultimately by way of a substantive appeal in the Federal Court that was comprehensively heard on its merits.
In a summary of these court proceedings, at no point of time in any of these courts was our client implicated by either the prosecution or defence – not in the least. Only in a last-ditch attempt at a review did former Inspector Azilah Hadri attempt to provide a narrative implicating our client where the Federal Court held in 2020 that the allegation lacked substance in both in procedure and merit.
The above is consistent with our client’s stance over the years where he has repeatedly said that he has never met or knew Altantuya.
Despite this, recent statements in the interview imply a vague assertion that our client exerts interference or influence over Sirul, purportedly to protect our client – a narrative quite different from that of Azilah further fortifying the inconsistent stance taken by both individuals.
Datuk Seri Najib categorically denies any allegations of seeking to influence or silence Mr. Sirul. In fact, he urges Mr. Sirul to be brave and to disclose any information he may have regarding the purported mastermind, in the interest of uncovering the truth, transparency and justice.
As the current Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain had pointed out, Sirul had been given the opportunity to defend himself in line with Malaysian laws and the constitution, and that Sirul's claim in his recent interview were never raised in any court that heard his case – from the High Court to the Court of Appeal and finally to the Federal Court.
In this regard, our client states that given that Sirul was faced with the death penalty throughout his trials, he should have raised his recent allegations to the courts if the same had merit, but yet had not done so.
Despite frequent misrepresented media reports, both Sirul and Azilah were never the dedicated bodyguards of our client but come from a pool of bodyguards which is rotated between the top leaderships in the then Cabinet. In fact, both were arrested for the first time after they arrived at the airport from the United Kingdom after they had performed their duties to protect the previous Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Further, our client requests the current Malaysian Government to engage with the Australian authorities with an aim to facilitate Mr. Sirul's extradition to Malaysia, ensuring a comprehensive investigation into his claims. To support this, our client suggests that the Malaysian Government might offer assurances against the imposition of the death penalty to facilitate the broader objective of truth and justice.
While our client retains all legal rights and remedies in this matter against Mr. Sirul, Al Jazeera and its reporter Mary Ann Jolley, he remains steadfast in his denial of any involvement in the tragic demise of Altantuya Shaariibuu through such a heinous crime. – The Vibes, November 25, 2023
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