Former Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan has urged his successor Khalid Abu Bakar and the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) to reopen the murder case of Altantuya Shariibuu, the Mongolian model/translator who is central to some of the questions asked of PM Najib Razak by his predecessor, Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Musa asserted that Mahathir should not be chastised for asking questions, nor should he be hauled up on sedition charges for his actions.
“Right now, Dr Mahathir did not commit any offence. (You) want (police) to investigate him for what?
“He is merely asking questions, who gave the order (to kill Altantuya)? Can that be deemed as seditious?” he asked, as quoted by The Malaysian Insider‘s Diyana Ibrahim.
“He wants to know who gave the order. So, the police investigation, if possible, should focus on finding the answer to this.”
Mahathir had asked in postings to his personal blog www.chedet.cc and during public speaking engagements as to who ordered Altantuya’s killing.
The two men convicted and sentenced to death for the 2006 crime, former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar and ex-chief inspector Azilah Hadri were assigned to Najib’s security detail at the time of the murder. Najib was serving as Defence Minister at the time.
Sirul, who is now under Australian police custody in Sydney, claims that he acted under orders, and that he knew nothing of Altantuya prior to being directed to kill her.
Altantuya was revealed in an earlier trial to have been the lover of Abdul Razak Baginda, a confidante and adviser to Najib. She was also involved in the negotations with French contractors in the Scorpene submarine deal initiated by the Malaysian government.
Pakatan Rakyat-linked NGO Solidariti Anak-Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) launched a campaign last week to lodge police reports on Mahathir to stations all across the country, on the argument that if Opposition politicians and dissenting intellectuals could be hauled up under the Sedition Act 1948 for their statements, Mahathir should be similarly investigated.
Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has not ruled out a police investigation on Mahathir based on SAMM’s reports, but vowed that the PDRM would treat the former premier with “all due respect” should it do so, and would handle the matter “discreetly”.
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