Mongolian murder trial could become a political show

The Straits Times, June 2, 2007
By Carolyn Hong, Malaysia Bureau Chief


Accused political analyst has links to Malaysia's Deputy Premier Najib Razak

CHARGED: Abdul Razak Baginda is on trial for abetting the murder of a Mongolian woman.

















KUALA LUMPUR - ONE of Malaysia's most sensational trials is set to begin on Monday when a political analyst closely linked to Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister goes on trial for abetting the murder of a Mongolian woman here.

The case could shape up to be more than just a murder trial as it has already become political fuel for the country's opposition to take swipes at Malaysian Deputy Premier Najib Razak.

The analyst on trial, Abdul Razak Baginda, is charged with abetting the killing of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, 28, last October.

Her body was blown up with explosives in a jungle near Shah Alam in Selangor.

The debonair Razak, 47, used to be a prominent speaker on political and defence issues and once headed a local think-tank, the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre, which was closely aligned to Datuk Seri Najib.

According to his affidavit filed in court earlier to support his application for bail, Razak said he was introduced to Ms Altantuya in Hong Kong at the end of 2004.

Razak, who is married with a teenage daughter, said they had a romance which ended in August 2005.

In his affidavit, he also alleged that Ms Shaariibuu began demanding money from him and, after agreeing to her demands several times, he stopped paying her last April.

But she turned up at his home in Kuala Lumpur last October, and he sought the help of a police officer who put him in touch with one of the two men accused of murdering Ms Shaariibuu.

The two men, Azilah Hadri, 31, and Sirul Azhar Umar, 36, were part of an elite unit which guards Malaysia's top leaders.

Razak said he gave no instruction for Ms Shaariibuu to be killed. She was last seen outside his home on Oct 19 last year where she was taken away in a car.

Razak was arrested a few days afterwards for allegedly abetting the murder. He has been in jail since January after the court rejected his application for bail.

All three have pleaded not guilty to the murder.

Their trial will be watched closely because of the powerful personalities linked to them.

Datuk Seri Najib has already had mud flung at him over the case, especially during the hard-fought by-election in Ijok, Selangor, in April.

The opposition, especially former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim and his Parti Keadilan Rakyat, made full use of heavy hints, insinuations and raised eyebrows to draw a link between the Deputy Prime Minister and the trial.

Datuk Seri Najib has denied any involvement in the case.

There is concern among some Umno politicians, especially supporters of Datuk Seri Najib, that the trial could become a political show.

An aide of Datuk Seri Najib told The Straits Times that as the trial would undoubtedly be conducted in the public spotlight, there could be attempts to damage his standing by creating doubts about him in the minds of Malaysians.

'I think some would want to make this more than mere criminal proceedings,' he said.

Lawyer and opposition veteran Karpal Singh, who is holding a watching brief for Ms Shaariibuu's family as well as the Mongolian government, did not deny that politics could creep into the trial.

He said it depended a lot on the evidence adduced from the witnesses.

'It's up to the prosecutors as they control the proceedings. I am only holding a watching brief,' he told The Straits Times.

He is applying to the court to play a more active role in the proceedings, including being able to question witnesses and make statements to the court.

Mr Karpal dismissed the perception that his political position could turn the trial into a political show.

A prosecutor at the Attorney-General's Chambers told The Straits Times that there was no political element in the trial and that the case wouldl not be allowed to become politicised. 'Not at all,' he said.

In an earlier hearing, prosecutors told the court that the only parties involved in the case were the men in the dock.

Transparency International Malaysia president Ramon Navaratnam said the public is nevertheless going to see this as a test of judicial independence.

'Since there has been speculation that important personalities are involved, people want to follow the case quite closely,' he said.