KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 12): Mongolia on Thursday asked Malaysia to ensure that a civil action brought by the family of murdered Mongolian interpreter Altantuya Shaariibuu is heard fairly and free of political interference.
The request is among four the Mongolian government conveyed to Malaysia in support of the bid by Altantuya's family to overturn a Jan 20 Court of Appeal decision that freed the Malaysian government of any liability in the high-profile October 2006 murder.
Two police commandos, Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar, were found guilty of the murder, but a political analyst linked to a top politician was freed of abetting them.
Altantuya's family sued the government and the three men, and was awarded RM5 million by the High Court in 2022.
But the appellate court ruled that only the three men were liable but not the government, and reduced the damages to RM1.4 million.
The Mongolian government requests that the testimony of Sirul be obtained to support of Altantuya's family's bid to overturn the Court of Appeal decision. The former policeman is in Australia seeking asylum.
Mongolia also asks that any new or unexamined evidence be reviewed and the family's lawyers are provided updates on the probe.
The country's last request is that Malaysia issues formally updates on any developments in the case.
Mongolian special envoy Zandanshatar Gombojav said in a statement on Thursday that his government respects the independence of Malaysian courts but regrets the Jan 20 Court of Appeal decision.
“Mongolia and Malaysia are friends, and it is because we value this friendship that we raise this matter openly and with respect,” the statement read.
“Twenty years have passed, and her family has endured unimaginable loss without ever hearing the words, ‘I am sorry.’ A fair and final resolution of this case matters greatly to the trust between our two countries.”
Zandanshatar, a former Mongolian prime minister, was in Kuala Lumpur to convey his government’s position.
Mongolia also conveyed these requests to the Malaysian embassies in Bangkok and Beijing via diplomatic demarche.
Malaysia and Mongolia do not maintain embassies in each others countries.
Separately, a judicial review application by Altantuya's father, Dr Shaariibuu Setev, concerning the authorities’ investigation of sworn statements by Azilah is scheduled to be heard on Jan 12, 2027.
Shaariibuu is seeking, among other relief, an order requiring the authorities to complete their investigation and provide an update.
Azilah and Sirul were convicted and sentenced to hang in 2009 of murdering Altantuya in Shah Alam in October 2006. The Court of Appeal acquitted them in 2013 before the Federal Court restored the convictions and death sentence. Azilah’s death sentence was commuted to 40 years’ imprisonment and 12 strokes of the rotan on Oct 10, 2024.
Sirul escaped to Australia after the acquittal. Though he has not been granted asylum, Australian law forbids the deportation of a person facing the death penalty.