Convicted murderer Sirul Azhar Umar may be held indefinitely in a Sydney detention centre. – Interpol pic, January 28, 2015.Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, who was sentenced to death for the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, may be held in a Sydney detention centre indefinitely, reports the Sydney Morning Herald today.
The 43-year-old Special Action Unit member was detained by Australian authorities in Brisbane last week after Interpol issued a red notice.
On January 13, Sirul did not turn up at the Federal Court, which allowed the prosecution's appeal and sentenced him and Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri to death, overturning their acquittal by the Court of Appeal in August 2013.
The Federal Court found both Sirul and Azilah guilty of murdering Altantuya in 2006.
Sirul has now been transferred to the Villawood detention centre in Sydney's western suburbs after his arrest in Ipswich, Queensland, on January 20.
Malaysia had reportedly made a formal request to extradite Sirul back home, but Australian media said extradition was unlikely as Canberra forbids repatriating suspects facing the death penalty.
Ben Saul, a professor of international law at the University of Sydney said Sirul was now in legal limbo.
Lawyer Dan Mori, representing accused Serbian war criminal Dragan Vasiljkovic, who faces the same predicament in Australia and has been fighting extradition for nine years, was quoted as saying Sirul's case "is unlawful arbitrary detention".
The SMH said there were 55 cases of indefinite detainment without charge in Australia.
These cases of indefinite detainment, said Saul, were in breach of international law.
Yesterday, Sirul's mother, Piah Samat, said he had been punished for simply carrying out his duties as a policeman.
The Department of Immigration and the Attorney-General's department declined to comment on Sirul's case.
- TMI
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