Sirul Azhar received offer to make him talk, says lawyer

An offer was made to former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar to have him say something so that the person could gain some political benefit, revealed his lawyer Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin.

The offer was made through an overseas call made to Sirul at the Villawood Immigration Centre in Sydney, he said.

On top of that, four to six attempts to meet Sirul have also been made by several groups of individuals who visited the detention centre, he said.

"I am not at liberty at this moment to say who they (these individuals) are," he said at a press conference, adding that he is aware of the identities of these individuals, and would address it through legal means at the appropriate time.

Convicted of murdering Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, Sirul had been sentenced to death but fled to Australia.

"The farthest I would go is to say there is a group (of individuals) trying to get to him with some promise of help, obviously hoping (to get) some sort of political advantage and political benefit, perhaps from what he (Sirul Azhar) is expected to say or perhaps what they want him to say," he said.

"There was an overture made to him... 'I can solve your legal problem, you better get rid of your lawyer'," he said.

"That is the personal reading of my client through conversations (I had) with him," he said, added that he met Sirul last week.

Visa application

Kamarul Hisham also said that Sirul, upon the expiry of his social visit visa in Australia early this year, had applied for a 'protection visa' so that he could still stay in the country.

The Immigration officer in Australia had interviewed Sirul Azhar on Nov 25, he added.

"However, the word 'protection visa' should not be confused with the idea that he seeked protection (from the Australian government). It is just a class of visa for protection for those who overstayed.

"(If the Australia Immigration Department were to grant him a protection visa), he will be released from detention and is free to be at large in Australia. We are working towards that," added Kamarul.

However, he said the biggest stumbling block to acquiring the protection visa was that Sirul was convicted of murdering Altantuya by the Federal Court in Malaysia.

Also present at the press conference was Hasnal Rezua Merican. Both lawyers had represented Sirul, the second accused in the murder of Altantuya.

According to Kamarul, Sirul receives good treatment at the detention centre.

"He is okay, alright. The detention centre treats eveyone well. It seems to be a very comfortable place to stay. And I liken it more to the situation of house arrest rather than detention centre, maybe in the sense that we are used to," he said.

Kamarul, however, said Sirul was under huge stress as he remains under detention.

The Federal Court had sentenced Sirul and another member of the elite police Special Action Unit, Azilah Hadri, to death on Jan 13 for murdering Altantuya in October 2006.

However, Sirul did not show up at Federal Court for the verdict. He had fled to Australia, where he was eventually arrested and put under detention.

Malaysia is facing difficulties to extradite Sirul as Australian law forbids sending back those who face capital punishment in their home countries. -Mkini