MP: Najib must shed light on Altantuya murder 
MalaysiaKini.com
Feb 1, 2015 

In the absence of answers on the motive behind the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo has demanded that Prime Minister Najib Razak act to shed light on the cause of the issue.

"As an MP, I hold the view that the prime minister must now act to clear the air.

"Any rational PM cannot hold his head high in circumstances like these. He himself should demand answers and want to know what happened.

"He is duty bound to direct a full and open probe into who directed the death of Altantuya Shaariibuu and why," the DAP parliamentarian wrote in a statement today.

Gobind said inspector-general of police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar's response that Malaysians will never know why "rogue policemen" Sirul Azhar Umar and Azilah Hadri killed Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu (right) was "pathetic".

“If this is how weak the police are, then we will never be able to make Malaysia a safe place because many of the real masterminds behind crimes will forever remain at large.

The Puchong MP said this is more so since the case was not merely a matter of national, but also international importance, as it involves a Mongolian and one of her convicted killers had fled to Australia.

“The international world, just like us here in Malaysia, would also want to know why Altantuya was killed.

“Why would two policemen - who did not know her at all - want to kill her?

“This will put Malaysia in the spotlight again for the wrong reasons, and it doesn't help that our top police officer has come out in the open to say that even he doesn't have a clue, despite the fact that it was two of his men who committed the crime,” he pointed out.

Khalid today further evaded calls for the police to probe the reasons behind the gruesome murder saying the investigation would have covered that aspect, but that the courts had decided not to reveal it and was content to leave it at that.

Gobind, however, noted that judges decide cases on the basis and strength of evidence put before them during a trial.

'Courts' duty to decide motive'

“It is the duty of the police to secure the evidence and then through the public prosecutor, place it before a court. It is then for the prosecution to argue motive and for the courts to decide whether or not the prosecution has proven motive beyond a reasonable doubt.

“So this argument that it was for the courts to decide motive and not the police, is misplaced. There must first be evidence. It is only then that a court can decide.

He added that it was also common practice for the police to conduct investigations which go beyond what is eventually required and adduced in court to secure a conviction.

“This would be particularly so in cases where the suspects are police officers themselves and weapons were used in the commission of the crime.

“The IGP must come clean on these matters and he must do so now. Was any separate investigation done into the motives in this case?

“What did it reveal and was this information ever brought forward to the public prosecutor?” asked Gobind.

Gobind’s statement today comes amidst the death sentences of Azilah and Sirul, where many have argued over the motive of the murder.

Sirul is currently under the detention of the Australian Immigration and Border Protection Department.

Malaysia is attempting to extradite him, but Australian law dictates that a person facing the death penalty in his or her home country cannot be sent back.

Meanwhile, Gobind said the Federal Court - in its judgment - had not answered unresolved questions over the murder.

“If these matters are not fully resolved, Malaysia will remain subject to ridicule from the international world over this, and Malaysians will always remain skeptical over the manner in which the case was dealt with.

Furthermore, on DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang’s proposal for a set up of a bipartisan parliamentary committee to inquire into the unresolved questions, the lawmaker said this was certainly a step in the right direction.

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