Do you believe Razak Baginda? – Nawawi Mohamad

Do you believe that Altantuya Shaariibuu’s death was “just a straightforward murder case” as what Razak Baginda explained recently? It could be the truth!

For some of us, it is believable but for many, there are still many questions that either have not been satisfactorily answered or not answered at all.

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has detailed out the relevant questions and related matters that need convincing answers by those involved in the investigation and prosecution of the case.

Thus, the investigation was not done thoroughly and the trial was not fully transparent. The only conclusion is that there are some important and damaging things that have to be hid and prevented from coming out in the trial.

The missing record of Altantuya’s entry into the country, those involved in the issuance of the C4 explosives, the presence of DSP Musa Safri, the involvement of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s personal bodyguards, the P.I Bala’s statutory declarations and his stay in India and the trouble faced by his family and the refusal of the authorities to find the motive and who was the real mastermind are some more things that need to be clarified.

There are many other things, of course.

If there was no mastermind, then the authorities should have used the trial as the opportunity to confirm without any doubt that Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar and Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri committed the murder on their own.

The prosecution team should have asked the duo whether they acted alone or there was someone giving the order. Let the duo tell their story during the trail.

That would clear all other suspects and end all the conspiracy theories and close the case for good.

There should be a trial within a trial if need be, just to seek justice both for the accused and those purportedly involved as their names were mentioned – clear their names!

When Sirul admitted that he was offered RM100,000 to kill Altantuya, the court should have pursued the matter to prove that either it was true or Sirul was lying. If Sirul lied, then that would clear the air in the most transparent and irrefutable lawful way.

When the court refused to pursue these aspects of the murder and finding the real motive, the whole trial is incomplete.

The court had not done its job properly and the authorities have lost the opportunity to clear the air. The trial should be more thorough.

The police should have questioned Musa and called him as witness or to prove that he was not involved in the murder and was not the one who gave the order to kill.

Leaving Musa out of the case when it was mentioned that he was spotted in a car created more intrigue rather than clear the air.

If this murder was “just a straightforward murder cas”, then why leave so many loose ends and questions not asked and duly answered?

As the saying goes, "Not only must Justice be done; it must also be seen to be done". It is more so in this case because the prime minister’s name was also implicated. The court, too, has not done justice to itself!.

* Nawawi Mohamad reads The Malaysian Insider.