HIGH COMM SHENANIGANS? QUESTION MARK OVER ALTANTUYA'S DAD'S STATEMENT TO SIRUL DESPITE 2 MONTHS WAIT

After close to two months, it remains uncertain whether the Malaysian High Commission in Australia has delivered Setev Shaariibuu’s amended statement of claim to convicted murderer Sirul Azhar Umar, who is being held at Villawood Immigration Centre in Sydney, Australia.

Setev is the father of the murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo, who is representing Shaariibuu in the High Court in Shah Alam today, said the Foreign Ministry had in early September instructed the Malaysian High Commission in Australia to deliver the document.

Sangeet said this was indicated by the ministry in a letter to her law firm.

"We wrote to the Malaysian High Commission in Australia on Oct 6 reminding them to deliver (the statement to Sirul) but there has been no reply or development," she told Malaysiakini.

Sangeet has informed deputy registrar, Azlinda Mohd Sharif, about this as the matter was fixed for case management today at the High Court in Shah Alam.

The amended statement of claim is filed following the conviction of Sirul and former Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri for murdering Altantuya at a jungle clearing atop a hill in Puncak Alam between 10pm and 1am on July 18 and 19, 2006.

The two, who were part of the elite police Special Action Unit, were found guilty by the Federal Court of murdering Altantuya on Jan 13 this year.

Azilah is now at Kajang prison while Sirul had left the country for Australia after the duo was previously acquitted by the Court of Appeal last August.

Red flag notice

However, Sirul was arrested by the Australian authorities on Jan 23 in Brisbane after a red flag notice was issued on the Interpol website by the Malaysian police.

It was reported that Shaariibuu and two of Altantuya's children had filed a RM100 million suit against Azilah, Sirul, political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and the government over her death.

Meanwhile, Sangeet also said the government had decided not to reply to the amended statement of claim, while Razak has filed an affidavit on the matter.

The matter has been fixed for further case management on Nov 26, she said.

Previously, it was reported that High Court judge had instructed Shaariibuu's lawyer, Ramkarpal Singh, to submit the document to the registrar for it to be sealed before it is given to the Foreign Ministry here.

This was because the lawyers might not have the jurisdiction to hand over the documents in Australia. - M'kini