Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says Sirul Azhar Umar should not be sent to the gallows and his claims on the Altantuya Shaaariibuu murder should be investigated. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Kamal Ariffin, April 4, 2015.Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today urged the police to identify the culprit behind the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu, saying it was "grossly unfair" to send Sirul Azhar Umar who was convicted of the crime to the gallows.
The former prime minister said Sirul, who is now in Australia, should be allowed to state his case as he had already said he was only carrying out orders.
"He (Sirul) has conveyed it's not on his own volition.
"He was asked to do it, so the question that should have been asked a long time ago was, who asked you to do it?" Dr Mahathir said at a forum in Cyberjaya.
"Until now somehow or other there is no open indication as to the person who gave the order. He should be given the freedom to state his case because otherwise he's going to be hanged to death.
"That's grossly unfair, he was just obeying orders."
Dr Mahathir also appeared to vouch for Sirul, and told the audience at the forum that the convicted murderer once served as his bodyguard.
"The man who is said to have done it was one of my bodyguards. Sirul was looking after me at one time, he didn't murder anyone at that time.
"Let the police do a proper investigation and identify the culprit."
Dr Mahathir added that if Sirul had acted on orders when he killed Altantuya, then he must have believed that he was just carrying out his duty.
"You can't go and hang a person when he was doing what was to him, his duty. He's been trained to take orders and carry out orders. If he does what he's been trained to do, it's not fair (to hang him).”
Yesterday, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said that police had met Sirul in Australia and concluded that the case needed no further investigation.
But Dr Mahathir said that Sirul might have been too frightened to disclose all the details of the case when questioned by police.
"I think if you ask a policeman to ask Sirul, he would be frightened. He's used to obeying orders from not so senior people, but now you have the IGP coming in, asking him, it's very difficult to answer."
Sirul and Chief Inspector Azilah Hadi were jointly charged with killing Altantuya in 2006 and convicted by the High Court in 2009. They were sentenced to death.
The Appeals Court acquitted them in 2013, but the Federal Court reversed the acquittal in January this year and reinstated the High Court's decision.
Sirul was missing during the hearing at the Federal Court and it was later revealed that he had left for Australia.
Malaysia is seeking to extradite the former police officer. But for now, he is still in Sydney as Australia's law forbid its government to send criminals to countries with the death penalty.
Dr Mahathir was at a forum titled, "Vision 2020: Mistakes Made, Lessons Learnt and Ways to Move Forward". – April 4, 2015.
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