The Malaysian government and three other parties were ordered by the Shah Alam High Court today to pay RM5 million (US$1.13 million) to the family of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu, who was killed in 2006.
Judge Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera of the civil court rendered his decision in favour of the family this morning, 15 years after the legal suit was filed in 2007.
The deceased’s mother and father, Shariibuu Setev and Altantseseg Sanjaa, as well as her (Altantuya’s) brother Mungunshagai Bayarjargal, are the three plaintiffs in the RM100 million lawsuit.
The suit targeted two former members of the Special Actions Unit (UTK) – Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar – as well as political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and the Malaysian government.
Vazeer ordered the four defendants to pay the family RM25,000 in expenses as well as 5% yearly interest on the RM5 million settlement during today’s hearings, which were held online.
Vazeer – who was previously elevated to the Court of Appeal but is today presiding over the High Court matter – ruled that the family succeeded in proving their civil suit against the four defendants on a balance of probabilities.
The judge said that the two former police officers were found to have “ruthlessly killed” the deceased in an unlawful act of murder, based on the testimony of multiple witnesses for the family.
Razak, according to Vazeer, is also responsible for the crime because he was connected to Azilah and Sirul’s involvement in it in late October 2006.
The judge emphasised that if Razak hadn’t asked Azilah for help in handling the problem of Altantuya coming to see Razak at his house, the two former police officers would not have been familiar with the victim.
“The first and second defendants (Azilah and Sirul) did not know the deceased prior to the fateful date of Oct 19, 2006 (when the two former cops met Altantuya outside the home of Razak and escorted her away).”
“There is a discernible motive for the first and second defendants to blow her up with high-grade explosives.”
“The only link between the first and second defendants and the deceased was the third defendant (Razak),” Vazeer said.
The government, the fourth defendant, is also vicariously accountable for Azilah and Sirul’s illegal activities, which involved the use of police resources, according to the judge.
Azilah and Sirul were unrepresented, while the family was represented by lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo.
Senior federal counsel Zetty Zurina Kamaruddin represented the government, and lawyer Manjeet Singh Dhillon appeared on behalf of Razak.
Linked romantically to Razak Baginda — who was, in turn, a close confidante of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak — Altantuya is said to have been working as a translator on a billion-dollar French submarine deal at the time. Some have speculated as to whether her untimely death might be related to her knowledge of the bribes and kickbacks later revealed to have taken place in connection with the deal. (France ultimately filed graft charges against Razak Baginda, though he has not gone there to face them.)
Altantuya’s remains were found in a jungle area outside of the capital. Forensic examinations showed she had been shot several times in the head and then subsequently blown up with military-grade explosives in Mukim Bukit Raja, Klang, between 10pm on Oct. 19 and 1am on Oct. 20, 2006. Questions have long lingered over the case, including as to what motives the men convicted for her murder had.
Disgraced statesman Najib, meanwhile, has long maintained that he never met the translator — going as far as calling the accusations “lies” and “slander.” However, a photograph purportedly exists showing both Ms. Shaariibuu, her lover Baginda, and the former PM together in Paris.
