Man Who Masterminded Gruesome Murder Acquitted
With Abdul Razak Baginda's acquittal and release, it just further entrenches the fact that Malaysia's political and justice system is bleak and full of darkness.
The message is obvious, as long as you have the right political connections, you can turn black into white and get away with murder, regardless of gruesome it may be.
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Malaysian acquitted in Mongolian slaying trial
By EILEEN NG, Associated Press Writer AP
Friday, October 31, 2008
SHAH ALAM, Malaysia - A Malaysian court acquitted a prominent political analyst Friday of abetting the gruesome killing of a Mongolian woman in a case that has drawn intense public speculation about alleged links to top government figures.
Abdul Razak Baginda smiles following his release at the High Court in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Friday, Oct. 31, 2008. A Malaysian court has acquitted the prominent political analyst accused of abetting the gruesome killing in October 2006 of a Mongolian woman. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin)
Abdul Razak Baginda, a close associate of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, had been charged with abetting the slaying of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian interpreter who was shot in October 2006. Two police officers have been on trial for allegedly carrying out the killing.
High Court Judge Mohamad Zaki Yasin ruled Friday that the prosecution failed to establish a case against Abdul Razak following a trial that began nearly two years ago. However, Mohamad Zaki ordered the two policemen to enter their defense.
"I just want to go home," Abdul Razak told reporters after hugging his family.
Abdul Razak, 48, would have faced the death penalty if convicted of abetting the killing of Shaariibuu, with whom he had an eight-month affair.
Opposition leaders had repeatedly tried to link Najib and his wife to Shaariibuu's death. Najib, who is expected to succeed Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in March, has insisted he never knew Shaariibuu and repeatedly denied any involvement in the case.
The case has not directly implicated the government, but Friday's court decision is likely to raise opposition accusations of political interference in the judiciary.
"Regardless of whether it is fair or not, (Abdul Razak's) acquittal will only go further to fuel rumors and speculation about the involvement" of Najib, The Malaysian Insider political news Web site said in a commentary.
The remains of Shaariibuu, who was shot and blown up with military-grade explosives, were found in a jungle clearing near Shah Alam, the capital of central Selangor state.
Abdul Razak has acknowledged having an affair with Shaariibuu. The prosecution had contended that he ordered her killing after she pestered him for money.
Government prosecutor Abdul Majid Hamzah said he would "consider appealing the case" against Abdul Razak's acquittal, stressing that "the fight is not over yet." The prosecution had closed its case in June after 151 days of testimony by 84 witnesses.
The slain woman's father, Shaariibuu Setev, denounced the court's decision, claiming it was a blow to the credibility of Malaysia's judicial system.
"I am not satisfied," he told reporters. "My daughter is dead and (Abdul Razak) is free."
The trial for the two policemen is scheduled to resume Nov. 10.
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Associated Press writer Sean Yoong contributed to this report.
The message is obvious, as long as you have the right political connections, you can turn black into white and get away with murder, regardless of gruesome it may be.
-------------------------------------------------
Malaysian acquitted in Mongolian slaying trial
By EILEEN NG, Associated Press Writer AP
Friday, October 31, 2008
SHAH ALAM, Malaysia - A Malaysian court acquitted a prominent political analyst Friday of abetting the gruesome killing of a Mongolian woman in a case that has drawn intense public speculation about alleged links to top government figures.
Abdul Razak Baginda smiles following his release at the High Court in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Friday, Oct. 31, 2008. A Malaysian court has acquitted the prominent political analyst accused of abetting the gruesome killing in October 2006 of a Mongolian woman. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin)
Abdul Razak Baginda, a close associate of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, had been charged with abetting the slaying of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian interpreter who was shot in October 2006. Two police officers have been on trial for allegedly carrying out the killing.
High Court Judge Mohamad Zaki Yasin ruled Friday that the prosecution failed to establish a case against Abdul Razak following a trial that began nearly two years ago. However, Mohamad Zaki ordered the two policemen to enter their defense.
"I just want to go home," Abdul Razak told reporters after hugging his family.
Abdul Razak, 48, would have faced the death penalty if convicted of abetting the killing of Shaariibuu, with whom he had an eight-month affair.
Opposition leaders had repeatedly tried to link Najib and his wife to Shaariibuu's death. Najib, who is expected to succeed Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in March, has insisted he never knew Shaariibuu and repeatedly denied any involvement in the case.
The case has not directly implicated the government, but Friday's court decision is likely to raise opposition accusations of political interference in the judiciary.
"Regardless of whether it is fair or not, (Abdul Razak's) acquittal will only go further to fuel rumors and speculation about the involvement" of Najib, The Malaysian Insider political news Web site said in a commentary.
The remains of Shaariibuu, who was shot and blown up with military-grade explosives, were found in a jungle clearing near Shah Alam, the capital of central Selangor state.
Abdul Razak has acknowledged having an affair with Shaariibuu. The prosecution had contended that he ordered her killing after she pestered him for money.
Government prosecutor Abdul Majid Hamzah said he would "consider appealing the case" against Abdul Razak's acquittal, stressing that "the fight is not over yet." The prosecution had closed its case in June after 151 days of testimony by 84 witnesses.
The slain woman's father, Shaariibuu Setev, denounced the court's decision, claiming it was a blow to the credibility of Malaysia's judicial system.
"I am not satisfied," he told reporters. "My daughter is dead and (Abdul Razak) is free."
The trial for the two policemen is scheduled to resume Nov. 10.
___
Associated Press writer Sean Yoong contributed to this report.
posted by Mockingbird at
11:43 AM
16 Comments:
i'm speechless & ashamed.
it's no wonder my singaporean friend always gets offended if someone mistakes him for a malaysian.
LOL
To Lin: Actually Singapore's politics is also full of darkness too. Any vocal critic of the gahmen is always at risk of getting locked up by virtue of the Internal Security Act. Anyone who dares to openly criticise against the gahmen runs the risk of getting sued until he becomes bankrupt.
Only Singaporeans and Malaysians can tell each other apart because of their different accents :p
LOL well, it's true every country has its dark side but acc. to my singaporean friend, singapore is not as racist as malaysia is. and most of the singaporeans i know take pride in their country. i guess it's the same for us too...cannot simply talk about the gahmen XP
many have mistaken me for a singporean...lol...maybe cause i tend to change the way i speak according to my audience. in many cases, our slangs are similar, no?
I will only be surprised if they found him guilty lah - it's protectionism and nationalism at work mah. Only in Singapore will we convict a Singaporean for killing a foreigner. We are the strange country, not M'sia.
To Lin: All of us take pride in our own country in one way or another. But there are always bound to be factors we are not proud of. Afterall, no country is perfect.
To LIS: You mean it's okay for a local person to kill a foreigner and get away with it? :p That sounds pretty warped. Regardless of the nationality of the victim(s), i think the murderer ought to be served his just desserts for the good of all mankind.
seriously, no offence but my singaporean friends (note: some, not all) are so patriotic that if we say anything slightly bad about singapore, they'll defend their country like there's no tomorrow! LOL so we think it's a singaporean thing. i dunno about u guys. =)
Well, just look at what's happening with the Bali bombing thing. The court case is still dragging on right? It looks that all the Australians will never get the justice that they want from Indonesia.
To Lin: i think anyone who loves his or her country would speak in its defence when it's been criticised against. Normal reaction :)
To LIS: The Bali bombers are supposed to be executed by now. Let's see if the Indonesian government finally serves justice on some of the evil-doers.
hmm...well, i guess u're right. i guess it's one of those focusing illusory effects. LOL which i shall not go into. i've been studying too much =D
i thought that case has ended d...didn't know it's still on. =S
To Lin: When the lenses of our eyes are not able to focus sharply on the things we are looking at, then we are either suffering from myopia or long-sightedness, right? :p
How can the case end without the execution of the bombers?
I didn't know Sgp has the ISA too.
LOL i thought they've already been executed.
Hey Mockingbird!
Your nuffnang ad got activated! Congrats :)
To HS: Now you know Singapore's politics are possibly just as dirty as that of Malaysia if not more so :p
To Lin: The constant delay of the execution of the Bali bombers just goes to show how crappy Indonesia's justice and political system is.
To LIS: Huh? Which ad are you talking about? You mean the one at the bottom of my web-page ah? :^
The one right under your blog title banner lah :)
Kaching! $$$$
To LIS: i don't think it's a lot of money lah. Ha, ha, ha...! :D
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