THE Court of Appeal in Putrajaya today awarded a total of RM1.4 million in damages to the family of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, and fully discharged the government from liability over her death in 2006.
The panel of three judges, led by Chief Judge of Malaya Datuk Hashim Hamzah, also unanimously set aside the RM5 million in vindicatory damages ordered by the Shah Alam High Court in 2022.
The court ruled that claims arising from death are governed strictly by Section 7 of the Civil Law Act and must be compensatory in nature.
Judge K. Muniandy said the government could not be held vicariously liable as the killing was not committed in the course of employment by former policemen Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar, who were police officers at the time.
“A sum of RM384,000 is awarded to the plaintiff, calculated based on a proven monthly dependency of RM2,000 and a multiplier of 16 years that adds up to 192 months.
“A sum of RM1 million is awarded to the plaintiffs, reflecting the high-handed, outrageous and barbaric nature of the killing,” said Muniandy.
Altantuya’s parents and grandson had filed a RM100 million lawsuit on June 4, 2007, claiming that her death caused them mental shock and psychological trauma.
The Shah Alam High Court, on December 16, 2022, allowed the lawsuit filed by Altantuya’s family and ordered former police officers Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar, former political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and the Malaysian government to jointly pay RM5 million in damages.
The government and Abdul Razak subsequently appealed against the High Court’s decision.
In 2009, Azilah and Sirul were convicted of murdering Altantuya between October 19 and 20, 2006. - January 20, 2026
