The DAP has called for an independent inquiry into the conduct of the prosecution in the trial of two former policemen charged with the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.
The call came after the Court of Appeal freed former chief inspector Azilah Hadri and former corporal Sirul Azhar Umar today, one of the grounds for acquittal being the failure of the prosecution to call DSP Musa Safri to the stand during the trial.
Musa was the aide-de-camp to Datuk Seri Najib Razak who was then deputy prime minister and defence minister.
DAP national legal head Gobind Singh Deo (pic) said the Attorney-General and his team ought to have known that Musa was an important witness.
"They have, one would assume, vast experience in handling cases like these and they know for a fact that they would run a serious risk of having their case thrown out for failure to call important witnesses.
"So why did they choose to take the risk, which has now come to serve as one of the reasons for the collapse of their case," said Gobind.
He added that this gave rise to questions whether there had been proper investigations and a proper presentation of evidence in court.
"We cannot allow these concerns to go unanswered. There must be an independent inquiry, by people who are not associated with the AG's Chambers, to review the investigation papers and to report back as to the propriety of the conduct of the prosecution," he said.
In calling for an independent inquiry, Gobind added that the powers-that-be must always ensure that the public has full confidence in the AG's Chambers.
Azilah and Sirul were jointly charged and convicted by the High Court in Shah Alam in 2009 for murdering Altantuya, 28, at a forest reserve in Shah Alam in October, 2006.
They appealed and were set free by the Court of Appeal today.
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