Court postpones hearing of judicial review bid by Altantuya’s father

 The hearing has been moved to Jan 12, 2027, after respondents seek to file a reply.

In 2006, Altantuya Shaariibuu’s body was blown up using explosives after she was shot in the head in a forested area in Puncak Alam, near Shah Alam. (File pic)

KUALA LUMPUR:

The High Court today postponed the hearing of a judicial review application by the father of murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, who wants authorities to investigate an additional affidavit and statutory declaration (SD) made by former police officer Azilah Hadri.

Lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo, acting for Shaariibuu Setev, said the postponement to Jan 12, 2027, was granted after the respondents sought leave to file an affidavit in reply to his affidavit.

Sangeet said the respondents argued in written submissions that Shaariibuu had not provided information under Section 107 of the Criminal Procedure Code, and that the authorities therefore had no duty to inform him of the investigation’s status.

“In response, we placed before the court a police report lodged by the applicant in 2018, in which he specifically requested that investigations be conducted into who had ordered the murder of Altantuya,” she said in a statement.

Shaariibuu filed the application on Aug 25, naming the inspector-general of police, the director of the criminal investigation department, the police, the attorney-general and the government as respondents.

He is seeking a declaration that the failure of all the respondents to inform him of the latest status of the investigation conducted in 2019 by Bukit Aman’s CID into the additional affidavit and SD affirmed by former police officer Azilah was unlawful.

Azilah’s affidavit, dated Sept 24, 2024, and SD, dated Oct 17, 2019, were filed in support of his application for a review of his death sentence, which the Federal Court heard on Oct 10, 2024.

Both documents, among others, contained Azilah’s statement that he received orders from “higher authorities” to carry out a covert operation to “kill and dispose of the deceased”.

Shaariibuu is also seeking a mandamus order compelling all respondents to complete the investigation within a month and to provide a detailed update on its status within seven days of the court’s decision.

He further requested that if the investigation is classified as not requiring further action, he wants to be informed of the reasons for the decision. - FMT