|
 ©The
Sun (Used by permission)
by Maria J. Dass
PETALING JAYA (July 22, 2008): The Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial resumes
tomorrow after a month’s break, amidst a number of new developments linked to
the case.
The prosecution’s case was finally wrapped up after 124 days of hearing on June
23.
When it continues tomorrow, judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin will hear submissions
on two trials-within-a-trial and two impeachment proceedings, in addition to
submissions on the main trial.
However, it does not seem like the trial is about to end soon because, over the
past month, there have been a number of developments connected to the case,
among which are:
Three statutory declarations
Three statutory declarations (SDs) -- one made by a blogger
and two by a private detective -- shocked the country.
The first, by <i>malaysia-today</i> editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin on June 18,
alleged that Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, wife of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Abdul Razak, and two others -- Lt-Kol Aziz Buyong, described by Raja Petra
as a "C4 expert" in the SD, and his wife Lt-Kol Norhayati Hassan -- were present
when Altantuya was killed.
Rosmah has since denied this, and Aziz and Norhayati filed a defamation suit
against Raja Petra in the Kuala Lumpur High Court today.
The second SD, made by private investigator P. Balasubramaniam on July 1,
alleged that Abdul Razak Baginda, who is accused of abetting two others in the
murder of the Mongolian woman, told Balasubramaniam that Najib had known
Altantuya and was the one who introduced her to Abdul Razak.
Balasubramanian, a witness in the trial was engaged by Abdul Razak in October
2006 to protect him and his daughter Rowena. In the SD, he said Abdul Razak told
him Najib was involved in a relationship with Altantuya, who was also known as
Amina.
However, on July 4, the day after Balasubramaniam held a press conference to
announce the contents of the SD, events took a dramatic turn when the private
eye retracted the SD.
Balasubramaniam and his family have gone missing since and are believed to be in
a neighbouring country.
Notice of motion
On Monday, lawyer Karpal Singh, who is holding a watching
brief for Altantuya's family and the Mongolian government , filed a notice of
motion in the Shah Alam High Court to call Najib and three others to testify in
the murder trial.
Karpal made the application is under section 425 of the Criminal Procedure Code,
which allows the court to summon persons found to be in possession of evidence
essential to the trial. He is asking for an order to stay all proceedings
pending the outcome of the application.
In addition to Najib, Karpal is asking the court to call Najib’s aide-de-camp,
DSP Musa Safri, whose name and phone number were mentioned during the course of
the trial, Brickfields district police headquarters criminal division head DSP
Idris Abd Karim, who Musa Safri was said to have introduced to Abdul Razak, and
lawyer Dhiren Rene Norendra, who had reportedly advised Abdul Razak at one time.
Trials-within-a-trial
The trial, which began on June 18 last year, was expected to
be over by October last year but has dragged on until now because of several
happenings, including the two impeachment proceedings against D7 police
personnel L/Cpl Rohaniza Roslan, who is first accused Chief Insp Azilah Hadri’s
girlfriend, and UTK officer DSP Yusri Hasan Basri, and three
trials-within-a-trial.
The decision on two trials-within-a-trial to determine if the actions and
statements by Azilah and second accused Cpl Sirul Azhar Umar, be adduced as
evidence is still pending.
The first trial-within-a-trial surrounds allegations that Sirul Azhar had led
police investigations team to his apartment and to the discovery of personal
items belonging to Altantuya in the pocket of a black jacket belonging to him.
Sirul Azhar, who took to the stand, denied that he had led the team there,
saying he was made to pose with the items discovered.
The second involves allegations against Azilah where police investigators
claimed that he had led them to the crime scene and shown where the victim was
shot and where she had been blown up after that. Azilah denied that he had
pointed out these details to the police and claimed the police already knew the
location of the alleged crime scene before taking him there.
In a trial-within-a-trial during the earlier stages of the hearing, Sirul
Azhar’s alleged "confession" to his superior, ACP Mastor Mohd Ariff, was
expunged after the court ruled that was not extracted using proper procedures.
Altantuya's father, Shaariibuu Setev, had also made several appearances over the
last two months.
 |
News 
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Circular No 297/2008
