Govt is blocking the re-opening of Altantuya case, says ex-CID chief

Govt is blocking the re-opening of Altantuya case, says ex-CID chief

Written by  Melissa Lee, Malaysia Chronicle

Former CID chief Mat Zain Ibrahim accused Attorney General Gani Patail of bypassing the courts by dismissing private investigator P Balasubramaniam’s statutory declarations regarding the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shariibuu.

In an open letter to Inspector-General of Policei Ismail Omar published in his blog on Monday, he said Gani was trying to ensure that the Altantuya murder case is not reopened.

“The question now is what right does Gani Patail have to decide that the contradictions in the two Bala SDs will not affect the Altantuya case. Or maybe he would like to admit that he is also acting as the Chief Judge hearing the case,” said Mat Zain.

Bala linked the first couple to the murder and submarines

After a 159-day trial in April 2009, the Shah Alam High Court sentenced two of Prime Minister Najib Razak's former bodyguards to hang for the killing of the 28-year old Altantuya, who allegedly had an affair with Najib before he passed her on to his close friend Razak Baginda.

It is also believed that Altantuya had acted as a go-between for Baginda in the Malaysian navy's purchase of three submarines from France in 2002. The deal was approved by Najib, who was then the defense minister.

Baginda, who was the chief negotiator, was charged for abetting the murder but was later acquitted.

During the controversial trial, the judge disallowed questioning into the role played by Altantuya in the submarines acquisition and also brushed aside cross-examination that delved into whether the bodyguards had been ordered by 'higher-ups' to kill Altantuya.

Too many connections for Najib to deny

In July 2008, Balasubramaniam who worked for Baginda, linked Najib to Altantuya and the submarines in a statutory declaration. The very next day, he retracted the statement and fled the country. Bala resurfaced last year and accused Najib's brother of giving him money to leave the country. He also upheld the first declaration.

That led to opposition lawmakers raising the matter in Parliament and calling for a probe into Bala's statutory declarations but their efforts were unsuccessful. Minister in PM's Department Nazri Aziz confirmed the government would not take further action on the declarations, sparking accusations that it was covering up for Najib and wife Rosmah.

The first couple has been accused of being involved in acepting huge kickbacks for submarines purchase and in the Altantuya murder as well.

In Paris, the French authorities are investigating the kickbacks paid by the submarines vendor DCN to Perimekar, a firm connected to Baginda which is believed to be the vehicle through which the 114 million euros or RM570 million kickback was channelled.

Sumber : Risalah Pakatan Rakyat