Bid by Altantuya’s parents to use apex court judgment fixed for Sept 25

The initial hearing on the bid by the parents and children of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu to use the Federal Court judgment on her murder in their RM100 million civil suit over her death has been deferred to Sept 25.

The judge of the High Court in Shah Alam, Justice Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, postponed today's hearing date to facilitate the parties to prepare replies to their submissions on that day.

According to lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo, the parties were told to submit their replies by Sept 21, with the hearing fixed for Sept 25.

It was previously reported that Altantuya's father Setev Shaariibuu (photo) filed an application for the Federal Court verdict on the murder to be used in the civil proceeding.

This legal issue will have to be decided first before the civil suit trial can proceed as the issue is whether the findings of the criminal court and the conviction can be relied on in civil proceedings - or whether the family, as the plaintiff, has to prove the murder all over again in the civil trial.

Setev and his family filed the suit in 2007, naming chief inspector Azilah Hadri and corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, as well as political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and the government as defendants following Altantuya's death.

Azilah and Sirul were found guilty of Altantuya's murder by the Federal Court in January 2015 and sentenced to death.

However, Sirul made his way to Australia and is being detained by the immigration authorities there.

Razak Baginda, who was accused of abetting the two former police officers in Altantuya’s murder, was acquitted.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had agreed to the re-opening of Altantuya's murder case after meeting Setev on June 20. -Mkini