Yoursay: No end to intrigue in Altantuya’s murder

YOURSAY | ‘Azilah and Sirul, at the very least, deserve a retrial, particularly now.’

'Najib ordered me to kill Altantuya' - Azilah's shocking allegation from death row

Vijay47: When the latest allegations are proven to be true - and there can be no soul dead or alive who would believe otherwise - it must mean the unbelievable devastation of the nation’s political leadership and the entire government machinery.

This would encompass not only the previous administration but possibly even present serving officers. It is beyond belief that the country’s public service and security apparatus was unravelled and perverted so grievously just to eliminate the aftermath of one man’s and his friend’s purported obsession with sexual escapades.

The heads to roll are almost too numerous to be listed, but let me give a fair stab at it. Or fair shot at it if you so prefer:

1. The Unit Tindakan Khas (UTK), Malaysia’s special forces, had organisational parameters so porous that its members could walk in and out without the knowledge and approval of the commanding officer. An official assassin could completely forsake his chain of command and instead comply with fairy-tale orders from outsiders even if they were allegedly the deputy prime minister (DPM) and his “special friend”.

2. How exactly did Sirul Azhar Umar get the explosives from the UTK armoury? Was no written application and authorisation required? It appears that he simply walked up to the counter and said “3kg of C4, please. No, make it four”.

3. Surprisingly, our world-famous police force came out of this with its shredded image slightly intact. They at least carried out some fashion of investigation only for the ghost of King Hamlet to appear years later.

4. What about the Immigration Department and the arrival of the foreign woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu? How could all traces of her entry into Malaysia be allegedly wiped off the records just like her body was?

5. The famous private eye P Balasubramaniam’s role in the plot and his convenient banishment to India cries out to be re-examined to identify those responsible for this canary changing its chirping tune. We also must know whether he actually died or was murdered as many suspect.

6. The equally famous exchange of SMS between a certain hotshot lawyer and the powers-that-be, later assuring his client “not to worry”.

7. And finally, the most shameful part - every player on the judicial stage, including judge, attorney-general (AG), prosecutor, and defence counsel. It appears that each one of them acted out a pre-determined whodunit. All that savagery of an unknown pregnant woman being blown up, the bewildering sequence of events, and yet not a single one from the cast thought it necessary to ask that basic question, “Who ordered you to do it?”

Alas, chances are that capital punishment may no longer be inflicted, but, I do not envy you the task you face, AG Tommy Thomas. If you thought 1MDB was dark and deep, fraught with miles to go before you sleep, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

But who knows, it might still be a walk in the Shah Alam park!

Malaysian-United: When Azilah Hadri was sentenced to death and Sirul absconded to Australia, most people were questioning the motive behind the killing because the cops didn't appear to have any, except to carry out the killing under instructions.

Former premier Najib Abdul Razak and his close associate Abdul Razak Baginda were the only likely suspects because they had motive.

The lightning speed of the arrest and conviction of Azilah and Sirul fuelled our suspicions. Azilah's claim that Najib and Razak Baginda instructed the cops to kill Altantuya comes as absolutely no surprise. This was the presumption all along.

But Azilah's life is now in great danger. He should be put under round-the-clock surveillance lest he meets an untimely "accident".

Falcon: So finally, he cracked?

The well-trained sharpshooter and assassin, the sudoku expert, a handsome Sarawak Melanau, sweet talker, very popular with a wide range of great looking women who visited him during the trial, now decides to throw everyone under the bus with the latest Malaysian obsession, a statutory declaration (SD)!

How much of it is true, fabricated, half-truths, tailored to fit his interest, left to be seen.

One thing I know, having interacted with him during the trial, he @Azilah is a super-intelligent operative, brutal, hard, unlike Sirul who comes across as an idiot.

I have always been interested why of all persons in the UTK unit, Azilah was picked? Was he, after all, a gun available for hire, a fact known within the corridors of power both within the system and outside?

For his high-flying life, monies were needed. Didn’t we read as well, his alleged boast that he has done this before and that spot they picked was a "kill zone?" Were there other DNAs there as well?

But it would be rather foolish to get overly excited based on a SD.

Evin K: The facts are plain and simple - Azilah and Sirul have no reason nor motive to murder Altantuya. They're simply UTK agents and all they do is take orders from the top.

The ones who gave them the order should be the ones behind bars. A UTK agent cannot disobey orders or they will be treated like a stray within their own unit, and end up demoted or transferred out, if not sacked.

Azilah and Sirul were put on the stand during the time when Najib was DPM and then the PM. How is justice to be served when Najib, who was the most powerful man in the country at that time, is also allegedly the very reason they are facing the gallows?

Azilah and Sirul, at the very least, deserve a retrial, particularly now, when those who were in power during their sentencing are no longer in power today.

Unspin: The 1MDB and SRC International cases are too complex for most laypeople to understand. But an extramarital affair gone awry that resulted in a gruesome murder is something that all of us can understand.

If there is a retrial, it will be interesting to see how many Bossku supporters are still with him at the end of the day.

Anonymous_3f4b: This is an overkill by hidden hands and powers-that-be to demolish both Najib and PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Najib has a good defence to the SRC and 1MDB case now tried in court and there are entities put to ensure he does not survive acquittal. The same goes to the recent allegations of the sex scandal by persons out to tarnish and besmear Anwar and make sure he does not climb the political ladder to replace the old one.

Call it the action of the deep state or what have you, but powerful forces by powerful hidden hands are at work here.

Gerard Lourdesamy: This is bigger than just Anwar or Najib. It is about truth and justice for an innocent young woman who did not deserve to be killed in such a brutal fashion. Even worse, is the alleged cover-up by the police, prosecution, defence and judiciary.

Are we a nation of laws or one that is lawless when it comes to people with power and money?

FairMind: Deep state involved? From the Immigration Department personnel who had allegedly erased the records of Altantuya's entry into Malaysia, police department personnel involved in taking statements, people from the PM’s Department, judges who refused to inquire into motives and censoring the ex-PM's name every time his name came up, the UTK intelligence unit who doesn't even know whether Altantuya was “a Russian spy” but yet a personnel carried out an allegedly search-and-destroy duty without their approval and knowledge, the AG’s Chambers which did not appeal Razak Baginda's court acquittal, right down to the people who financed Balasubramaniam's stay in India and the lawyer who withdraw Bala’s SD within hours.

Anonymouse: From the very beginning and after the trial, many Malaysians knew that it was a sham. Key witnesses, especially Najib's aide Musa Sabri, were not called to the witness box to answer questions.

Many were and till today still don’t see why the two police officers would want to kill an innocent and harmless woman who was a total stranger to them.

From investigation right up to the trial, Malaysians knew that there was a cover-up to protect people at the highest level. The bean is now spilled and Najib will, like in the 1MDB case, continue to deny the allegation.

An innocent life was lost but the two alleged perpetrators are roaming freely enjoying their life. Is this justice?

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