The lawyer, Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin, told Malay Mail Online that this is on the advice of Sirul's legal representatives in Australia, where he is currently held by immigration authorities.
“There are legal issues he is facing in Australia which goes back to his dentition. There are applications made to his visa status. That pending status is a process being handled by them (Australian lawyers).
“He has been advised by his Australian lawyers not to speak to any media as it might be prejudiced or harm the case he has Australia. He is standing by that,” Kamarul said this afternoon after speaking with his client, who is at the Villawood detention centre in Sydney.
Asked to confirm or deny the Sydney Morning Herald's (SMH) report, the lawyer merely repeated that his client is standing by his decision to avoid any discussion on his case outside the courtroom.
He noted, however, that Sirul did not expressly speak about any plans for a phone conversation with Dr Mahathir.
“He has not mentioned anything about the impending call, but he is standing by the advice of his Australian lawyers that he would not be speaking outside of judicial process or legal proceedings.
"He is standing by that,” Kamarul insisted.
In an article today, featuring an exclusive interview with Sirul, Australian daily SMH mentioned the possibility that the highly-anticipated teleconference between the former police commando and Dr Mahathir may finally take place this month.
"(Dr) Mahathir's protection could provide the move needed to get Sirul out of check in Malaysia's game of chess," the report said.
It said Sirul's future now hinges on the phone call because the former police commando — who claims to know who ordered the murder of Altantuya, the young lover of one of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s former aides — believes his secret could win him his ticket to freedom.
Kamarul, however, said Sirul had not spoken with anyone from the media recently.
But the lawyer confirmed that the media had been present when Sirul's mother Piah Samat visited her son at the detention facility on March 3.
“My client has notified me that a reporter was present on the occasion of his mother’s visit, but he never gave any interview or spoke with the reporter.
"He confirmed that he has not spoken to any journalist or reporter on the matter (his case) recently," Kamarul said.
According to SMH's article, Piah was present during the interview. The writer, Eryk Bagshaw, wrote in his report that during their meeting, Sirul made black tea for him and his mother.
The report also quoted Sirul as insisting that he had committed the murder "under orders".
"Those people who wanted to kill Ms Shariibuu are still free. I want the chance to redeem my family's dignity ... I am the scapegoat," he was further quoted as saying.
Sirul and Azilah Hadri, another former police commando, were both sentenced to hang in January this year for the 2006 murder after the Federal Court reversed their previous acquittal.
Sirul was a no-show during the sentencing, however, and it was later revealed that he had fled to Australia to live with relatives.
Following a red alert issued by Interpol on Sirul, Australia's immigration authorities caught up with him and detained him at Villawood.
The former police commando is currently caught in a legal limbo as although Australian law prohibits its government from sending criminals to countries that have the death penalty. He similarly cannot be released into the community there as he is a convicted murderer.
PAS MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar had first proposed the teleconference early last month following Dr Mahathir’s meeting with Sirul’s mother Piah.
The meeting took place after Dr Mahathir joined calls for the police to reopen Altantuya’s murder case and look into Sirul’s claim that he and Azilah had killed her under orders.
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