Altantuya’s father says he has seen photo of her with 2 men

Altantuya’s father Shaariibuu Setev testified about a photograph showing her with two men.

SHAH ALAM: Dr Shaariibuu Setev, whose daughter Altantuya Shaariibuu was killed in Malaysia in 2006, told the High Court here that he has seen a photograph of her together with two men, which was produced in evidence to the court.

Shaariibuu, 69, became slightly agitated when he was repeatedly questioned by Senior Federal Counsel Norina Bahadun about the photograph, which was said to have been altered.

He also questioned the lawyer’s action when he kept on asking about the picture, saying that he had seen the picture only once.

“You all are asking me the same question. Why not you call the people in the picture and ask them,” he said when asked by Norina, for the Malaysian government.

Shaariibuu, a part-time professor at the Mongolian National University, and his family have filed a RM100 million suit against the Malaysian government, two former policemen, Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar, and defence analyst Abdul Razak Baginda.

Earlier, Norina suggested to Shaariibuu that the picture was never shown to him by Altantuya.

Shaariibuu did not agree when Norina stated that the picture actually never existed.

He said Altantuya had shown him the picture when she came to his office at the Mongolian National University. She took out the 8 x 12 centimetre sized picture from her handbag.

He told the court that he could not find the original photo after that.

When asked by his counsel, Ramkarpal Singh, about Altantuya’s purpose in coming to Malaysia, Shaariibuu said his daughter only showed him the picture.

“I was only shown the picture once. If I had known the importance of the picture, I am sure to have kept it then. Too many facts and not only the picture,” he added.

To a question by counsel Manjeet Singh Dhillon, acting for Razak, Shaariibuu said the Royal Malaysia Police never showed him the picture when he spoke to them.

He explained that he only saw the picture once when it was shown by Altantuya but he could not remember fully.

Shaariibuu also told the High Court that the police did not inform him about who allegedly altered the photo of the trio.

Shaariibuu and his wife Altantsetseg Sanjaa and their two grandsons, Mungunshagai Bayarjargal and Altanshagai Munkhtulga, filed the RM100 million suit on June 4, 2007.

However, Altanshagai Munkhtulga’s name was later removed as a plaintiff as he died two years ago.

In the statement of claim, the family alleged that Altantuya’s death had caused them mental shock and psychological trauma, entitling them to be compensated with exemplary and aggravated damages.

The trial before Judge Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera continues on Monday. - FMT