Altantuya's father: I have essential information

PETALING JAYA :  The father of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu said that he has the information to link his daughter’s murder to the controversial Scorpene submarines deal.

Setev Shaarriibuu said he was willing to testify in the French judicial probe with regard to the deal, in which Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has been implicated.

“I have essential things to say… I know that there is a connection with the French case and the murder case. I can connect the dots… and provide the relevant (information) for the case.

Speaking at a press conference here, Setev said via a translator: “I will provide detailed information when I am in court.”

He was flanked by Suaram director Cynthia Gabriel and its executive director E Nalini. Also present was Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, a member of Suaram’s legal council team for the case.

Suaram filed a case against French shipbuilder DCNS in the French courts with regards to the purchase of two Scorpene class submarines by Malaysia in 2002.

Suaram has alleged that DCNS paid commissions worth millions of ringgit to top Malaysian officials to secure the deal.

In France, such kickbacks are criminal offences.Two investigating magistrates, Roger Le Loire and Serge Tournaire, have been appointed to the Paris Tribunal de Grande, which hears corruption cases.

Setev, who is on a three-day personal visit to Malaysia, said that the information he possessed were relayed to him before Altantuya left for Malaysia six years ago.

“I met her for the last time before she left for Malaysia and I asked her what was her travel purpose.
“She showed me a picture of her, Najib Tun Razak and (political advisor) Abdul Razak Baginda which was taken in Paris.

“She pointed to Najib in the picture and told me she had something to decide with him. I told her that it was not worth it but she went anyway,” he said.
No trial date

Gabriel, meanwhile, said that Suaram will be the first witness in the case.

“We will meet our lawyers in two to three weeks to gather a list of preferred witness and the judge will decide on who to call,” she said.

The trial date has yet to be fixed.

In 2006, Altantuya’s remains were found in a secluded area in Puncak Alam, Shah Alam. Police investigation found that she was shot twice before her body was blown up using military-grade C-4 explosives.

Abdul Razak, said to be Altantuya’s one-time-lover and a close associate of Najib, was acquitted of a charge of abetting two Special Action Squad (UTK) members – Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar – in committing the murder.

On April 9, 2009, Azilah and Sirul were convicted and sentenced to death when the High Court found them guilty of murdering the 28-year-old mother of two.

Security costs

In a related development, Setev’s counsel Karpal Singh clarified that his client’s RM100 million civil suit against the Malaysian government filed in 2007 has yet to be heard and he did not lose the case as reported.
He said legally, the matter could only be heard after the appeal proceedings by the two UTK personnel. The Court of Appeal is due to hear the duo’s appeal on Aug 27 and 28.

Karpal, who is also DAP national chairman, said that Setev, as a foreigner, was ordered to pay security costs to ensure that the civil suit was kept going.

He said that the Shah Alam High Court ordered Setev to pay RM30,000 to Razak Baginda, and the Malaysian government, which he had done.

By Tarani Palani, FMT