Altantuya murder: No C4 at police HQ, who gave explosive to accused then?

A lawyer for Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri says the type of explosives used in the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu is not in the stock of federal police headquarters Bukit Aman.

Submitting on one of the grounds in Azilah's appeal against conviction for the murder of Altantuya, lawyer Hazman Ahmad said questions therefore arose as to how Azilah had allegedly procured the C4 explosives.

“Azilah's log record from Bukit Aman shows that he was only issued with a Glock pistol and magazines. Hence, there is a question as to how this type of explosive was allegedly used.

“My client did not have possession and control of the C4 explosives used as it was never issued by Bukit Aman,” Hazman told the Court of Appeal today.

Altantuya was allegedly shot and then blown-up with C4 explosives in a jungle clearing in Shah Alam between 10pm on Oct 19 and 1am on Oct 20, 2006.

Another defence lawyer, J Kuldeep Kumar, argued that the High Court did not take into consideration the notice of alibi issued by Azilah that he was in Bukit Aman, and later at Wangsa Maju, on the night of the incident.

Kuldeep further argued that Azilah's phone records could have been manipulated and altered by Celcom to frame his client.

“There are witnesses from Celcom who acknowledged that what they supplied during the trial (in the High Court in Shah Alam) was not the master list, but a compilation of it.

“Hence, there is a chance of the list being altered and manipulated,” Kuldeep said, adding that the trial judge had failed to recognise this. Azilah and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, who are members of the elite Special Action Unit of the police force, are appealing against their death penalty for the murder of Altantuya.

- Malaysiakini