KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 - The Shah Alam High Court will be the centre of attention this Friday when judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin delivers the verdict on the sensational Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial.
Mohd Zaki’s verdict will not only decide the fate of the three accused - Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, both members of the Special Action Unit (UTK) and renowned political analyst and strategist Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda - but also end wild speculations and rumours relating to the case.
Altantuya's gruesome murder, she was killed and her body blown up with explosives to cover up the crime, has spawned numerous speculations and conspiracy theories. There have been rumours of a prominent political figure and his wife being linked to the murder, revelations of an intimate affair of one of the accused with the victim and shady business dealings.
The trial has gone on for almost two years with the prosecution winding up their case on June 23. If the court decides that there is a prima facie against the trio, they will have to make their defence, otherwise they will be discharged and freed.
When asked by Bernama on the sidelines of the court proceedings what they would do if they were freed, Azilah, 32, who has an adopted child, said that “there are too many things to do, but above all I want to cuddle my child and hold a thanksgiving feast”. Sirul Azhar, 36, offered a smile, typical of this former bodyguard of VIPs who is known to be discreet. On the dock he sits quietly, turning once in a while toward the members of the media sitting behind him to ask for sweets and pickled fruits.
Abdul Razak, 48, the executive director of the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre, wants to take a break overseas with his only daughter Rowena if he is set free.
Throughout the trial, Abdul Razak was accompanied by his wife Mazlinda Makhzan, his parents and close family members. However, at the initial stages, Mazlinda’s presence made Altantuya’s father, Shaariibuu Setev frown as he claimed she had verbally abused him and court officiers had to keep them apart.
When asked about the fate of her husband, Mazlinda replied: “I leave it to Allah. Razak is innocent.” That decision is, of course, in the hands of the judge.
The 151-day proceeding witnessed many bizarre and hilarious incidents. Apart from this there was also a change in the presiding judge and a clash between two counsels on who should be representing one of the accused.
Abdul Razak caught the attention of the media with some of his antics in the courtroom. He threw tantrums and even went to the extent of kicking the dock and cursing people. He kept pushing his counsel Wong Kian Kheong to speed up the trial without any deferment and this incensed Deputy Public Prosecutor Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah who ticked off Wong by saying that Abdul Razak was not the only person in prison.
Azilah and Sirul Azhar, who always had their faces covered, set a new trend for accused in other cases. When asked why they did so, Azilah said: “Life is long way to go, there are some things best kept secret.”
Azilah and Sirul Azhar were alleged to have murdered Altantuya between Lot 12843 and Lot 16735 Mukim Bukit Raja, Shah Alam, between 10pm, Oct 19, and 1am, Oct 20, 2006. The duo were well versed in the use of explosives and are said to have taken the plastic explosives, detonator cord and CLC (cutting liner charge) from the UTK storeroom.
Abdul Razak, who is alleged to have abetted the two UTK members, is said to have committed the crime on Oct 18, 2006, at his office at 10th Floor, Bangunan Lembaga Getah Asli Malaysia (LGAM), Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur. The motive for the murder is said to be due to demands and threats from Altantuya, a Mongolian national..
Based on the evidence adduced from prosecution witness Deputy Superintendent Muhammad Koey Abdullah, the explosives were probably placed in the victim’s mouth or the upper torso and the impact reduced her bones to fragments.
On why no traces of the victim’s clothing was found, Dr Mohd Shah Mahmood, the Head of the Forensic Medical Department at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL), explained the victim was probably stripped of her clothing before being blown up.
However, lawyers J. Kuldeep Kumar and Datuk Hazman Ahmad, who represent Azilah, insisted that their client was no way involved in the murder and that Azilah was not the one who led the police to the crime scene.
Sirul Azhar’s counsel Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin, Hasnal Redzua Marican and Ahmad Zaidi Zainal pleaded their client’s innocence stating that he was victimised just because Altantuya’s jewellery were found in his home. On Atlantuya’s blood stained sneakers found in Sirul Azhar’s four-wheel drive, they claimed anyone could have left it there as the vehicle could be accessed by others as well.
Wong, who represents Abdul Razak, held that his client had nothing to do with Altantuya’s murder and there was no proof that the murder was carried out under Abdul Razak’s behest. He also questioned the failure of the prosecution to call several senior police officers during the trial.
Mohd Zaki will make his decision based on the evidence provided by the 84 witnesses that has been compiled into 6,000 pages of proceeding notes.
Prior to delivering the decision on the main charge, Mohd Zaki is expected to decide on the prosecution’s application to challenge the credibility of Lans Corporal Rohaniza Roslan (Azilah’s girlfriend), the decision on the trial-within-a-trial on Altantuya’s jewellery found in Sirul Azhar’s home, and on the statement by police that Azilah led them to the crime scene.
The entire nation awaits his judgment. - Bernama
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By Debra Chong
