Altantuya killers' delayed appeal: Mongolian officials to come to KL in August

A group of Mongolian officials specially tasked by their government to look into the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder will arrive in Malaysia in August.

"They have confirmed coming. It is only the date that not been fixed because Mongolia just had their elections and the new government has just been formed," Keadilan Daily reported PKR MP for Kelana Jaya Loh Gwo Burne as saying.

"I hope the case can be settled as soon as possible. It has already been a 6-year-wait for Altantuya's family but till now there is no closure. I am sure all of us in this country including the international community feel sympathy for her family."

Delay after delay

The 28-year-old Altanutuya was killed in a jungle clearing in Malaysia in 2006 by the two special squad cops, who were also Prime Minister Najib Razak's former bodyguards. They who shot her and then blew up her body with military-restricted-use C4 explosives.

Altantuya's murder is one of Malaysia's most sensational cases and remains a mystery till this day. Most Malaysians and foreigners followeing the case believe that the master minds who ordered the 2 bodyguards to kill her are still at large.

According to Gwo Burne, despite appeals from Altanutuya's dad Setev Shaariibuu to the Malaysian government to speed up the judicial process, the Najib administration has done the opposite.

Indeed, the appeal of the two bodyguards - who were sentenced to hang in 2009 - has again been postponed to October 31 and November 1 from August 27 and 28.

Political links and the Scorpene connection

There is also strong evidence of political links in her murder, although the Malaysian court that heard her murder trial refused to allow questions on whether there were other people behind the killing.

One of the bodyguards Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar even stated that he was paid RM100,000 to kill Altantuya, yet the Malaysian trial judge refused to discuss the issue of motive for the murder. Both the bodyguards had never met Altantuya before and did not have any tangible motive to kill her.

A third person, also with links to Najib, was controversially acquitted of having abetted the two cops in the murder. Razak Baginda, a close friend of Najib's and the chief negotiator for the Malaysian government's purchase of two Scorpene submarines, was discharged without his defence being called.

The decision raised eyebrows and spurred further talk that Altantuya was murdered because of her knowledge of the Scorpene deal, in which Najib has been accused of taking a 114 million euros or RM570 million bribe from French vendor DCNS to hammer through the purchase.

Scorpenes bribery trial ongoing in Paris

DCNS is now on trial in Paris for having bribed Malaysian officials including Najib. Among the scores of top secret documents seized by the French police and now being evaluated by the Parisian court, DCNS officials have mentioned Altantuya as Baginda's "interpreter".

Altantuya's father too has said that his daughter came to Kuala Lumpur in 2006 to see Najib, to "discuss something" with him. Najib was then the deputy prime minister and targeting the top post. He could ill afford such a scandal and it was his aide-de-camp Musa Safri who asked the two cops to help Baginda stop Altantuya from blackmailing the latter.

Meanwhile, the government-controlled Malaysian media has done its best to destroy the link between Altantuya and the Scorpenes purchase despite the evidence accumulated by the French police.

"It is good that the Mongolian representatives are coming themselves to push the case forward. If it is left to the Malaysian government, even 5 years may not be enough to solve the case. As caring Malaysians, we should extend to them our full co-operation to seek justice for Altantuya," said Gwo-Burne.

Last rites and Malaysia's GE-13

Indeed, Foreign Affairs consular for Mongolia G Gankhuyag was reported as saying in a June press conference that the Najib administration was too 'soft' in the way it handled the case.

Until the appeal of the two bodyguards is fully settled, Altantuya's ashes have to remain in the custody of the Malaysian courts. Her family, including her two young sons, are awaiting the return of her remains to conduct final rites. Given that her killers were sentenced 3 years ago in 2009, and she had been killed 6 years ago in 2006, their grouses appear justified.

Meanwhile, political observers and Opposition leaders doubt Najib will allow the appeal to be heard until after Malaysia completes its 13th general election.They expect another postponement.

Najib has until April 27, 2013 to dissolve Parliament although influential former premier Mahathir Mohamad has just hinted that polls were likely to be held after the Haj or pilgrimage season - which would make GE-13 most likely to be held in November.

Malaysia Chronicle