Ex-police commando Sirul Azhar Umar, while maintaining his innocence in the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, confessed to accepting money to keep silent about the crime.
He stated during an interview with Al Jazeera’s 101 East programme that he did not commit the murder, but did admit to being involved and taking Altantuya from the house of a former political analyst on the night she was killed in 2006.
He recounted the events of that fateful night, stating that he handed Altantuya over to his superior, former chief inspector Azilah Hadri, while she was still alive.
When questioned about whether he accepted money to stay silent about the murder, Sirul admitted to it, citing his lack of work, money, and the need to support his children’s education in Australia.
Sirul and Azilah, who were both bodyguards for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, were convicted of Altantuya’s murder in 2009 and sentenced to death. Abdul Razak Baginda, a former political analyst, was charged along with them, but was acquitted in 2008 due to lack of evidence.
Najib has consistently denied any involvement in the murder of Altantuya.
In 2013, the Court of Appeal overturned Sirul and Azilah’s conviction and ordered their release, but Sirul fled to Australia while the prosecution appealed the decision.
He was in Australia when the Federal Court upheld the conviction and death penalty, and was released from immigration detention after nine years based on a ruling that non-citizens unable to be deported could no longer be detained indefinitely.
He has since been reunited with his children in Canberra, where he has been shown strolling through parks and visiting monuments on the Al Jazeera programme.
During his first-ever media interview, Sirul spoke about his experiences and activities while in detention, including painting and gardening. However, he continued to deny any direct involvement in Altantuya’s murder.
He was questioned about evidence linking him to the murder, including Altantuya’s belongings found in his possession and pictures of his car at the crime scene. He denied any knowledge of the evidence and claimed that it was all planted.
He also claimed that a video of him exonerating Najib of any involvement in the murder was made at the instruction of his lawyer and that he was offered a substantial amount of money to do so.
Sirul expressed his belief that he was being used as a “scapegoat” in a larger “political game” and claimed that he had been unfairly targeted by the government.
His lawyer, Datuk Hasnal Rezua Merican, refuted Sirul’s claims, stating that there was no truth to the allegations and that it was too early to take any steps in response to the allegations made in Australia.
