It’s a foreign murder that has landed Australia in diplomatic hot water.
Malaysian man Sirul Azhar Umar, 43, was convicted this month in absentia and sentenced to be hanged for murdering and blowing up model and socialite Altantuya Shaariibuu, 28, in 2006.
He fled Malaysia before the conviction and, when he was detained in Brisbane on Tuesday for a visa violation, his crime became Australia’s problem.
Under Australian law, immigration officials cannot extradite a person who could face capital punishment. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has declined to comment but experts say Australia can refuse extradition until Malaysia gives assurances that Sirul will not be sentenced to death.
Altantuya Shaariibuu in an undated passport photo. Source: Facebook
Sirul Azhar Umar, an ex cop who was also a former bodyguard to the Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak. is being held in Queensland. Source: Supplied
SHOT TWICE AND BLOWN UP
The murder was gruesome. In late October, 2006, the remains of Mongolian national Altantuya were found in a jungle clearing near Kuala Lumpur. She is believed to have been shot twice before her body was blown up by explosives. All that was left were bone fragments and pieces of flesh.
Video: The night Altantuya was murdered - by Americk Sidhu, a renowned lawyer and former president of the M'sian Bar Council
Sirul, a former policeman and elite commando in Malaysia, was charged with the murder alongside former Malaysian chief inspector Azilah Hadri.
It has long been alleged that Altantuya’s murder was linked to her connections with Malaysian government officials and specifically related to her year-long affair with Abdul Razak Baginda, a friend of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. The pair’s relationship did not end amicably.
Altantuya had helped Abdul Razak broker a deal that would allow Malaysia to purchase submarines from the French. But everything went wrong when she started to ask for money.
The victim, Altantuya. Source: Facebook
‘I’M JUST NORMAL GIRL TRYING TO MEET MY LOVER’.
Altantuya was a glamorous young woman identified at different times as a socialite, a part-time model and a translator. Originally from Mongolia, she was also reportedly pregnant.
Asia Sentinel reported in 2007 that Altantuya appeared to demand money from Abdul Razak for the care of her child — a baby he may have fathered. She was last seen by eyewitnesses getting into a car outside Abdul Razak’s house with the two elite bodyguards.
The website referenced a letter from Altantuya found after her death that mentioned both her lover and a threat to her life.
“I’m just normal girl trying to meet my lover who lied to me and promised many things but now wants to put me in jail or kill,” Altantuya is quoted as saying.
“Yes I try to blackmail him. Maybe it’s my fault but I really understand he doesn’t love me anymore and I need to stop.”
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is in a tricky position given Australia’s position on capital punishment. Source: News Corp Australia
AUSTRALIA IN A TRICKY POSITION
Don Rothwell, an Australian National University professor of international law, told the Courier Mail that Australia will likely hold on to the former police commander because he cannot be sent back to Malaysia to face the death penalty.
“The Extradition Act makes it quite clear that if a person has been sentenced to capital punishment or has been charged with an offence which could lead to the imposition of capital punishment, the attorney general can refuse extradition until such time as appropriate assurances are given that capital punishment wouldn’t be applied,” Rothwell said.
“Unless Malaysia was able to give to Australia those assurances, under Australian law extradition would not take place.”
Malaysian Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told the Bernama news agency that Malaysia would consider bringing legal action against Australia if the government refused to extradite Sirul, the Mail reported.
But Australian politicians are remaining tight-lipped. The Department of Immigration said on Wednesday in a carefully-worded statement that Australia is “aware of the Malaysian authorities” interest in Sirul but that it could not comment further. - News.com.au
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.