25-11-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) In a recent interview with Al Jazeera’s 101 East programme, ex-police commando Sirul Azhar Umar, one of the individuals convicted in the 2006 murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, made startling admissions. While maintaining his innocence regarding the murder, Sirul confessed to accepting money in exchange for his silence.
“I didn’t do murder (sic). But yes, I am involved,” Sirul stated during the interview. He acknowledged escorting Altantuya from the residence of a former political analyst on the night of the incident but insisted that she was still alive at that time. He claimed to have handed her over to his then-superior, former chief inspector Azilah Hadri.
When questioned about receiving money to remain silent about the murder, Sirul admitted, “Yes, I did because I have no work, no money. Nothing. No choice. They offered, and that money I spent on my son because I love my son.”
Sirul and Azilah, both former bodyguards of then-Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, were convicted of Altantuya’s murder in 2009 and sentenced to death. However, in 2013, the Court of Appeal overturned their conviction, leading to their release.
During the interview, Sirul explained that he fled to Australia in 2016, where he was detained by immigration authorities. He was released after nine years when the Australian High Court ruled that non-citizens unable to be deported could no longer be detained indefinitely.
Despite maintaining his innocence in pulling the trigger on Altantuya, Sirul faced tough questions about the woman’s belongings found on him. Al Jazeera’s Mary Ann Jolley pressed him on the discovery of Altantuya’s jewellery in the pockets of his jacket and pictures at toll gates showing his car heading to the crime scene.
Sirul dismissed the evidence, alleging it was a set-up. “I don’t know about the evidence. I think this is all planting,” he claimed during the interview.
When confronted about a video that surfaced in 2016, where he exonerated Najib from involvement in the murder, Sirul admitted that his solicitor had instructed him to make the video and offered a substantial sum of money, approximately RM1 million in Malaysian ringgit.
Sirul went on to assert that he was a “scapegoat” in a larger “political game,” emphasizing that he was following orders and discipline within the police force. His lawyer, Datuk Hasnal Rezua Merican, denied Sirul’s claim, stating, “There is absolutely no truth to those allegations,” and mentioned that it was too early to take any steps regarding the recent revelations.
