No need pardon for Sirul, other key witnesses available - Ramkarpal

The government should not entertain fugitive Sirul Azhar Umar's offer to spill the beans on the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder in exchange for a pardon, said Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh.

Instead, Ramkarpal pointed out that there are other potential witnesses who were still free but strangely not called to testify in the murder trial during the BN administration.

Ramkarpal, whose late father Karpal Singh had acted for Altantuya's family, said Sirul's offer was "downright insulting to her memory and ought not to be entertained at all". 

"There is absolutely no hint of remorse from Sirul in his said interview particularly when the murder was committed in such a heinous manner.

"He also says that he has killed others under instructions which are contrary to his claim that the murder of Altantuya was his only crime," said Ramkarpal, who is the lawyer now acting for Altantuya's family.

In 2015, Sirul and Azilah Hadri were sentenced to death for the murder of Altantuya, who was in 2006 shot and then detonated with military grade explosives.

Both of them were at the time bodyguards to then deputy prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

The Federal Court did not consider who ordered the killing.

Azilah is presently on a death row in prison but Sirul fled to Australia.

The previous BN government did not extradite him, citing Australian law which does not recognise the death sentence.  

Ramkarpal (photo) said: "Having regard to the peculiar circumstance of this case, I am of the view that Sirul's sentence ought to be committed to life imprisonment in which case he will be deported to Malaysia from Australia and sent to Kajang prison to serve his sentence.

"Once he is back on home soil, he will be compelled to cooperate in the said investigation or Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) if necessary, appear as a witness against those who ordered Altantuya's murder."

'Key witnesses were not called to testify'

However, Ramkarpal noted that Sirul was unlikely to have personal knowledge of what transpired on the night of the murder or who ordered it.

"It is clear from the evidence during the trial that Azilah played a bigger role.

"Furthermore, the possibility that one DSP Musa Safri may have knowledge of what happened cannot be excluded as he was mentioned throughout the trial but was curiously not called by the prosecution.

"Razak Baginda may also be a potential witness. In the circumstances, it is likely that Sirul's knowledge, if any, is merely hearsay and based only on what he was told by Azilah," he said.

Ramkarpal proposed that the case be reopened or an RCI is set up to ascertain the motive of the murder.

"Those responsible for ordering the murder must be brought to justice regardless of their rank or position if evidence of their involvement comes to light," he said.

However, Ramkarpal said those who carried out the act or order must also face justice.

"The fact remains that Sirul and Azilah murdered Altantuya in the most grotesque of circumstances.

"As such, Sirul is certainly in no position to bargain his way out of paying for such a tragedy and he must be deported to Malaysia in the manner suggested above to once and for all put a close to the mystery of who ordered the murder of Altantuya," he said. -Mkini