Australian media is reporting today that the man convicted of the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, Sirul Azhar Umar, has had his bid to stay in their country, claiming political asylum, rejected.
Previously both Malaysian and Australian governments were forced to deny that any moves to extradite Sirul were in the works.
Sirul has been in Australia for the last four years, having jumped bail in 2014 after he, and another man, were found guilty by an Kuala Lumpur court of Altantuya’s 2006 murder. Both were working as bodyguards for former prime minister, Najib Razak, who was the deputy PM.
Once in Australia, Sirul, who was once a police corporal, claimed that he was in fact innocent, and was merely carrying out the orders of his superiors. Despite these claims, he has never clarified who asked, or why, he was asked, to carry out the murder.
Linked romantically to Abdul Razak Baginda, a close confidante of the former PM Najib, she is alleged to have been working as a translator on a billion dollar French submarine deal at the time. Many have wondered if her untimely death had anything to do with her knowledge over the bribes and kickbacks that occurred over the deal.
Altantuya’s body was found in a jungle area outside of the capital, having been shot several times in the head, and then subsequently blown up with military grade explosives. In January, Ms. Shaariibuu’s family came to KL to launch a civil case against the two bodyguards, her former lover, and the Malaysian government. With Sirul’s return, they hope that he can help fill in the blanks over the murder.
For his part, Sirul has claimed he would reveal all only under the condition that he is granted a full pardon. Australia reportedly will only deport Sirul once Malaysia abolishes the death penalty, which is under a current moratorium, with a final decision unratified.
Disgraced statesman Najib 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.
ABC Australia reports that an unnamed Malaysian emigre in Australia has explained their friend Sirul hopes to be released into Australian society, to live, and that “his crime was a political crime.”
A court has since disagreed with the nature of the murder, saying there was no evidence that the hit was “a state-ordered assassination.”
