Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak suggested that former corporal Sirul Azhar Umar "reveal everything" he knows about the alleged mastermind behind Altantuya Shaariibuu's murder.
This comes after former police commando Sirul, in an interview with Al-Jazeera that aired on Friday, declined to identify the "top politician" he said gave the order to assassinate Altantuya.
During his Australian incarceration by the Immigration Department, Sirul also claimed in the interview that he had been paid an undisclosed amount by anonymous sources to remain silent about the Altantuya case. Najib vehemently refutes any claims that he is trying to intimidate or quiet Sirul.
According to The Star, Najib's attorneys, Shafee & Co., stated that Najib “urges 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.”
Najib's attorney, meanwhile, claimed that their client had been cleared by the courts on several occasions over the years of any involvement in Altantuya's death.
The Federal Court, for example, declared in 2020 that Azilah Hadri, the former chief inspector, had "lacked substance both in procedure and merit" in her attempt to link Najib to the case.
Both that he knew Altantuya or had ever met her, as well as any role in her death, have been flatly denied by Najib.
"However, recent remarks made during the interview suggest an ambiguous claim that our client interferes or has influence over Sirul, ostensibly to safeguard our client - an account very dissimilar from that of (former chief inspector) Azilah Hadri, further reinforcing the contradictory positions adopted by both parties," his attorneys said.
They further emphasized the fact that, while facing the death penalty, Sirul was given the opportunity to defend himself in court on this matter, but he never brought up these allegations during that time.
The statement added that, in contrast to several media reports portraying Sirul and Azilah as Najib's personal bodyguards, the two were, in reality, a part of a bodyguard pool that was shared or rotated among the Cabinet's top leadership at the time.
Najib has asked that the government work with Australian authorities to make it easier for Sirul to be extradited back to Malaysia in order to guarantee a thorough investigation into his recent allegations.
Altantuya Sharibu was shot in the head in October 2006. A military-grade explosives were used to blow up Altantuya's remains. It was believed that Altantuya was pregnant at the time.
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