Altantuya murder trial begins: reality Vs fiction

Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian part time model, came to Malaysia on 6 October 2006. She went missing sometime mid October 2006, after she was said to come to Kuala Lumpur looking for her lover. Her cousin, made a police report on her disappearance on 19 October 2006 and at the Mongolian Embassy in Bangkok. After a police investigation started, she was found brutally murdered sometime mid October 2006 and her remains found scattered in a forest reserve near Puncak Alam, Shah Alam.

During the UMNO General Assembly last November, the story about this murder which attracted so much attention by the local media became a hot gossip amongst the party people who convened and converged around the PWTC in Kuala Lumpur. So much attraction was given that ended two mainstream media journalists were questioned on their reporting of the case.

On 7 November 2006, renowned political and strategy analyst Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda detained for the murder under remand (which was extended) and he was charged at Magistrate Court for an abetting the murder of the woman on 16 November 2006. Razak Baginda was a strategic lecturer in the armed forces defense college before starting and running a political and strategy based think thank organisation in the 90s. He was said to be a friend of the Deputy Prime Minister since his days as the Defense Minister (1990-1995). The Malaysian Armed Forces developed a “Total Defense” doctrine during this time and was based on Razak Baginda’s research.

Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, both members of UTK elite squad of the Police Force, were also charged for the murder of the woman. CI Azilah was on Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi security detail to Pakistan when he instructed to comeback and detained on arrival.

The Star, www.thestar.com.my has the story:

Wednesday November 15, 2006

Two policemen charged with Mongolian model’s murder

KUALA LUMPUR: Two Malaysian policemen were charged Wednesday with the murder of a Mongolian model.

Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Constable Sirul Azhar Umar have been accused of murdering the Mongolian woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu, on the night of Oct. 19 and Oct. 20 in a forest area outside Kuala Lumpur, deputy public prosecutor Noorin Badaruddin told reporters.

She also said DNA tests have confirmed that the human remains found in a jungle clearing in the Bukit Rajah hill outside Kuala Lumpur was that of Shaariibuu.

Noorin refused to speculate on the manner the murder was committed or what connection the two policemen had with the woman.

Noorin said the two policemen were charged in a sessions court, and will face the first hearing on Dec. 14 in the High Court.

A third female police officer, who also was detained for questioning along with the two male officers, was not charged.

She was released on bail on Wednesday, said defense attorney Shaun Tan. – AP

Another policewoman was also arrested but after investigations during remand, she was never charged in court for the murder. She was said to be co-operative during the investigations, whilst in remand.

The case was then transferred to the Shah Alam High Court and all the three men were charged under Sect 302 of the Penal Code, which carry the mandatory death sentence upon conviction. Drama soon followed. Razak Baginda was allowed to be controversially released on RM one million bail on 15 December 2006 (until 5 Jan 2007 where the case will be mentioned again) by High Court Judicial Commissioner Mohd Zaki Yassin, only to be revoked by High Court Justice K. N. Segara a month later and upheld by a three man Court of Appeal led by Justice Mokhtar Sidin. He then produced an affidavit that he knew the woman and had an affair with her. There was also a game of musical chairs amongst the defense lawyers.

Regardless who-say-what-where-when-&-how-it-said-before, the the high profile murder trial starts tomorrow, Monday 4 June 2007, at High Court 4, Shah Alam court complex. Judicial Commissioner Dato’ Mohd. Zaki Yassin will be presiding the case.

So eventually the trial of a very high profile murder in 2006 did convene, with three persons charged. Over 100 witness will be called and produce their testimony in court. The case was expedited earlier from the planned March 2008 trial, for the growing interests of the public. However, from the date the two policemen, one policewoman and Razak was arrested, so much have been said, speculated, pre-empted and pre-judged by so many people, on a case which has not even started yet? Why? Does this people know her personally? How can the other people know more?

Susan Loone in her blog, www.sloone.wordpress.com, started harping on this case since Monday, 20 November 2006. She actually published 61 articles pertaining to Altantuya Shaariibuu!

Anwar Ibrahim, one time a convict, also harped on this high profile murder case. In his media statement on 10 January 2007, he urged the police to interrogate Deputy Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak. He harped on the case and related on it so much on Najib that it became a campaign agenda during the Ijok by-election at the end of April. His convention against Najib and attempt to relate him to the poor woman saw PKR suffered heavy losses and some even dubbed Ijok at “Anwar’s Waterloo”.

I am assuming besides Razak Baginda and very few privileged people, no one else in Malaysia have ever heard of the name “Altantuya Shaariibuu” before 7 November 2006.

Suddenly why so much attention and speculation was given on to a woman no one in this country ever heard of? Suddenly how come so much information about this woman and certain personalities surfaced? Where are all these information coming from since before 8 November 2006, since no one except very privileged few even heard of her? Will these people who talked so much about her be called and testify in the trial?

Was there an obsession with Anwar Ibrahim and Susan Loone on Altantuya Shaaribuu? Do these people know her personally?

How possibly can someone like Anwar Ibrahim and Susan Loone harp on the Altantuya Shaariibuu case on and on, endlessly and all of it are facts? Considering they never heard of her prior 7 November 2006, somewhere, somehow, most of their case on the poor woman must be from figment of their own imaginations and unqualified loose gossips and unprofound rumours, probably plucked from thin air and fabricated. Considering also both are political animals and have been known to be “Drama King and Queen”, they have the ability, propensity and history to consciously ramble on untruth and fabricated materials.

Then, there is also the magic question. Why did Anwar Ibrahim and Susan Loone do this, in the first place? Again, considering they don’t know her, so why did they harp endlessly on the case and very vehemently attempted linking it to Najib? What is their motive? Is it political?

Someone suggested that Anwar Ibrahim and Susan Loone were ‘paid’ to do this. They could be agent provocateur by someone or some organization to ensure someone like Najib gets the serious political repercussion on this case. Who would want to do that? Who would benefit from this?

Now that the trial starts tomorrow, let us no longer listen to people who have the symptoms of being compulsive liars or political apparatus for someone else (although they have a compulsion to vehemently deny they have “political masters” – see how they have the propensity to lie?). Let us all pay attention on what will be presented in the court (go early to secure a place in the public gallery). Afterall, the verdict will be made ONLY upon consideration on the materials that have been produced in court, during the trial. And that is the truth.

And may the truth, save us all!

 

Addendum:

*See also A Voice’s Another Brick in the Wall, www.anotherbrickinwall.blogspot.com, for his take on the case and as he put it “……..of a fading star politician, and a dejected wannabee politician turn drama queen blogger doing the sub-judicial act of not only discussing a case that is undergoing police investigation, but unabatedly dramatise their speeches and blog posting to infer Dato Najib as involved.”

* See also O.B.E. in his blog, www.shar101.wordpress.com, for his take on this.