Altantuya Murder Case 29/07/07

Najib seen with Altantuya

A Mongolian witness caused a stir in court today when she revealed that murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu had been photographed having a meal with a Malaysian government official named Najib Razak.
Burmaa Oyunchimeg (left), also known as Amy, told the Shah Alam High Court that Altantuya had shown her the photo in Hong Kong when she returned from a trip to France.
It is believed that the government official in the photograph is Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who has close ties with political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda.
The latter has been charged with abetting the murder of Altantuya, 28.
Najib has previously denied that he had personally met the murdered woman and that he heard of her only from newspaper reports after Altantuya was murdered.
This morning, Burmaa, 26, had mentioned the photograph when re-examined by DPP Manoj Kurup.
Manoj was asking whether she had personal knowledge of Altantuya’s disappearance.
Burmaa began her answer conveyed by her translator Enkhjargal Tsetsgee that she knew Altantuya had come to see Razak who happens to be the only person she knows in Malaysia.

“I know why she wanted to see Razak Baginda, I have seen pictures of Altantuya with Razak and a government official,” she said.
However, Manoj quizzed her as to how she knew Altantuya disappeared and did not follow up with Burmaa’s sudden revelation.
About 20 minutes later, lawyer Karpal Singh, who is holding a watching brief for the deceased’s family, sought permission from the court to pose a question on the photograph.
'They had the same name'
This drew protests from the prosecution and a verbal exchange ensued on the relevance of the question. However, judge Mohd Zaki Mohd Yasin granted Karpal permission.
The veteran lawyer then proceeded to ask Burmaa on what was depicted in the photograph.
“She (Altantuya) was having a meal at a round table with Razak (Baginda), a Malaysian government official and other people,” she replied.
Karpal then asked her on the identity of the government official, and she replied: “I remember the name Najib Razak, they had the same name, ‘Razak’. I thought they were brothers. I asked her (Altantuya) if they were brothers.”
This sparked off another exchange between the prosecution and Karpal before the judge dismissed Burmaa and directed the courtroom to stand down for 15 minutes.
The next witness was lance corporal Rohaniza Roslan, 29, who had testified that the red Proton Wira aeroback - which was seen by Razak’s private investigator P Balasubramaniam as the car that took Altantuya away on Oct 19 last year - belonged to her.
Examined by DPP Noorin Badaruddin, Rohaniza said she was off duty that night and was keeping Azilah company at the police headquarters in Bukit Aman.
She and Azilah were a couple at that time.
“Azilah had an assignment to escort the PM and DPM to Hong Kong but it was cancelled. So I was there to help him unpack his belongings,” she said.
Rohaniza elaborated that Azilah received a call and later followed him to Bukit Damansara. She said she saw an Indian man talking to a “Chinese woman”.
She told the court that she then moved to the back seat and the Chinese woman sat next to her.
'Don't create trouble'
According to Rohaniza, a man in a green cap then showed up, entered the car and Azilah drove them away before dropping the man off at a junction nearby.
“He got out of my car, went into a green (Suzuki) Vitara and Azilah tailed him to a highway towards the direction of Bukit Aman.
“It was then the Chinese woman asked us who we were and Azilah told her “police”,” the Petaling Jaya-based officer told Noorin.
She said Azilah told the Chinese woman not to create trouble at Razak’s house because he has a family at home and that she should find Razak at his office instead.
Rohaniza who was tearing when she was asked to point Azilah out as she revealed that she has known Azilah since 1998 when she joined the police force.
Two police officers - Azilah, 30, and corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, 35 - are charged with the murder of Altantuya. Razak, 47, is charged with abetting them.
Prosecutors allege that Abdul Razak and Altantuya met in 2004 and began a whirlwind affair, during which he gave her money.
After they broke up a year later, he allegedly continued to give her money whenever she demanded. But the payments stopped last year, prompting her to become dissatisfied and travel to Malaysia in October, the prosecution said.
Altantuya was killed by ‘probable blast-related’ injuries in a clearing in Shah Alam after she was driven away from outside Abdul Razak's house in mid-October.
All three accused faced the death penalty.

Azilah Told Altantuya Not To Disturb Razak

SHAH ALAM, June 29 (Bernama) -- The Shah Alam High Court here was told Friday that Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaaribuu had been reminded by Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri not to disturb Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda and create a commotion in front of the political analyst's house.
Azilah's girlfriend, Lance Corporal Rohaniza Roslan told the court that Azilah also instructed Altantuya to meet Abdul Razak at his office if there was any problem.
She said Azilah also told Altantuya not to disturb Abdul Razak because he had a family.
Rohaniza said this when testifying as the seventh prosecution witness in the Altantuya murder trial which entered its 10th day today.
She said Azilah gave the instruction to Altantuya in a car after taking the woman who had been waiting in front of Abdul Razak's house on the night of Oct 19, 2006.
In the dock are Azilah, 30, and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, 35, both from the Bukit Aman Special Action Unit, charged with murdering Altantuya, 28, at lots between 12843 and 16735 in Mukim Bukit Raja between 10pm on Oct 19 and 1am on Oct 20 last year.
Abdul Razak, 46, is accused of abetting the two policemen. They face the death penalty if convicted.