Sirul Azhar in Australia, no money to return, says report

Corporal Sirul Azahar Umar's lawyer Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin outside the Federal Court in Putrajaya today after the court allowed the government's appeal over the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006. Kamarul says he last contacted Sirul in June last year. – The Malaysian Insider by Najjua Zulkefli, January 13, 2015.

Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, one of two former police commandos sentenced to death over the 2006 murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu, failed to turn up at the Federal Court because he is believed to be in Australia, Bernama reported today.

Citing an anonymous source, the national news agency said Sirul had left the country two months ago and did not have enough money to return to Malaysia to hear the Federal Court’s decision today.

The source denied Sirul had escaped the country because he had anticipated the verdict, but admitted that the former policeman was aware the court would be delivering its judgement today.

“(The verdict) is not something that can be expected. However, it was necessary for Sirul Azhar to be overseas.”

Sirul and Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri were sentenced to death after the Federal Court today allowed the government's appeal over the murder of Altantuya.

Federal Court judge Suriyadi Halim Omar said the prosecution had proved its case to implicate the two with the charge that carried the death penalty.

"As such, the Court of Appeal was wrong in reversing the findings of the trial court to free them," said Suriyadi, who is a member of the five-man bench to hear the final appeal.

On August 23, 2013, the Court of Appeal allowed the appeals brought by Azilah and Sirul and acquitted them.

Azilah was expressionless as the verdict was read.

Prosecutor Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah asked the court to issue a warrant of arrest for Sirul which was granted.

Four years earlier, High Court judge Datuk Zaki Mohd Yassin had found the two guilty and sentenced them to death.

Evidence in court revealed that the Mongolian translator was either murdered by C4 explosives or killed first and the remains destroyed on October 18, 2006, in the outskirts of Shah Alam, near the capital city Kuala Lumpur.

Former political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, a confidante of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, was charged with abetting Azilah and Sirul but was acquitted by the High Court in 2008 without defence called.

The government did not appeal.

Despite today's conviction, the motive for the murder of Altantuya was never revealed.

The only option now left for the cops is to apply for a pardon to the sultan of Selangor to commute their death sentence to imprisonment.

Also present at the hearing was Mongolian government representative Reynolds Augustine.

- TMI