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The Confession that Never Was

Written by Our Correspondent

Friday, 20 March 2009

Page 1 of 2

A statement by the confessed murderer of Altantuya Shaariibuu raises more questions

See also: Sirul Azhar Statement

On November 9, 2006, at Kuala Lumpur's Travers police station, Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, then a 35-year-old member of the country's elite Special Action bodyguard unit under Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, sat down and confessed to the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.

The dead woman, a Mongolian translator who had been executed nearly three weeks before in gruesome fashion with two bullets to the head, is at the center of what would be one of Malaysia's biggest political scandals ever, involving not only sex and murder but hundreds of millions of dollars in defense contracts.
But the case, which has been underway in a Shah Alam courtroom since June of 2007, is notable for what neither the prosecution, the defense or the judge appeared to want to be bought into open court.

On Feb. 3, a tearful Sirul asked the court not to sentence him to death for Altantuya's murder, saying he was like "a black sheep that has to be sacrificed" to protect unnamed people who have never been brought to court or faced questioning.

"I have no reason to cause hurt, what's more to take the life of the victim in such a cruel manner," Sirul said. "I appeal to the court, which has the powers to determine if I live or die, not to sentence me so as to fulfil others' plans for me."

Sirul and Azilah are now awaiting sentencing despite the fact that the trial was concluded in February.
Sirul's confession is an extraordinary and chilling document. In the session, tape-recorded and conducted in Bahasa Malaysia, or Malay language, Sirul was told he was not obliged to answer questions but that whether in answer to questions or not, his remarks would be recorded as a statement.

But although the volunary confession indicates that Sirul had been cautioned, it has been ruled inadmissible in the long-running trial of Sirul and his boss, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, and Abdul Razak Baginda, the admitted lover who jilted Altantuya after a torrid affair. Razak was later declared not guilty and freed without having to put on a defense. He has since left the country for England.

An extraordinary amount of evidence connects Najib, now preparing to become Malaysia's prime minister, to the case. SMS messages exist between Baginda and Najib reassuring him not to worry when he was first under suspicion, saying Najib would fix things. A private investigator hired by Razak Baginda to keep Altantuya away from him after she returned to Malaysia to confront him said in a statutory declaration that Baginda, a well-connected head of a political think tank, had told him Najib had introduced Altantuya to him. The private investigator was forced to recant his statement and hurriedly left the country.

Although Sirul's statement was ruled inadmissible, presumably that would not have prevented lawyers from repeating the questions in open court in an attempt to get him to answer them. Among other things, in the confession, Sirul says "Azilah talked about a reward of between RM50,000 and RM100,000 if the case was settled."

Since Baginda has been freed, it raises the question of who else was going to pay the two men to kill Altantuya. That question was never asked or answered in court.

In other court testimony, Sirul said Azilah had told him "there was work to be done and just asked me to follow him." Musa Safri, Najib Tun Razak's chief of staff, he testified, "had told him about a friend …who had women problems."

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Get away with Murder
written by Rosmah, March 20, 2009

Don't play play with UMNO fatcats. We can get away with Murders, literary that is.

Amazing
written by Atlanta Private Investigator, March 20, 2009

Wow - how can a voluntary confession be ruled inadmissable?

How do we as Citizens Deal with a Murder Suspect who is Corrupt? Thanks to UMNO!
written by Janda Baik, March 24, 2009

This is UMNO, a group of scoundrels and a gallery of Rogues in the Malaysian Cabinet.They are money hungry, blood thirsty political vampire who under a claok of secrecy-murder,rape,pillage,fraud,corrupt and steal from all Malaysian citizens on the PRETEXT of helping the Malay Community.

Let me tell you at the outset-The malay population are fed up and have been fed up with this CORRUPTED and DISHONEST Government. Mind you the government is also made up of Rogue Chinese and Indian vagrants who have jumped onto the band wagon for their own gain!

To these people, I say-that in the Muslim,Christian ,Buddhist and Hindu Religions there is vengence that will come.It will come as in the fall of bad people when good people are raised to replace-Look at Sadam Hussein, Surharto,Marcos,Idi Amin -now Bashir and many more to come-Murder and Torture are crimes against humanity and warrants can be issued in Europe for the arrest of Najib and his Cabinet.
Mind you neither George Bush and Cheney can travel in Europe freely, let alone Canada!

It is EVERYWHERE!
written by ALTANTUYA, March 24, 2009

Here are some links:
Arms deal link to death of model - TIMES ONLINE UK

Arms deal scam: Death of model rocks Malaysia - The Times of India
Murder of 'Far Eastern Mata Hari' linked to Malaysia's PM-in-waiting - The Australian
The Altantuya Shaaribuu Case: How and why she was killed - The Nation, Thailand.

Model's jungle death linked to arms deal - 9 NEWS, Australia

Malaysiakini report entitled 'PM Najib': Int'l media's underwhelming reception' says it all.

From London and Paris to Jakarta and Brisbane, notable publications have cast doubts on the Najib Abdul Razak’s worthiness for the PM’s office.
It is safe to say that no prime ministerial succession – we have had five in the last 38 years – has had as underwhelming a reception in the international media as Najib’s.

Read more at: http://takenotetakeheart.blogs...where.html

...
written by Thirusethuraman, March 24, 2009

What a shame.... the future prime minister of Malaysia is a murder suspect and Malaysia is a muslim country. That tells you everything. Oh well, Its a norm in muslim countries anyway. Its not that their god could do anything. Otherwise it would have wiped out all the middle east leaders, corrupted junkies.